


Surviving the Storm

by Emotionalglutton



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Falling In Love, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kuro's a little shit, Kuro/Shiro bonding moments (sort of), Kuro/Team bonding moments, Langst, Luro, M/M, Panic Attacks, Pining, Punishment, REALLY slow burn lol, STRICTLY platonic Kuro/Pidge, Serious Injuries, Slow Burn, Torture, Trust Issues, Unrequited Love, Will add more tags as they come along, arena fighting, creation of Kuro, future smut, lashings, occasional use of profanity, past metions of rape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2018-11-21 21:06:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 79,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11365614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emotionalglutton/pseuds/Emotionalglutton
Summary: "Welcome to the world Kuro."Kuro is a Galra made clone of the one they call Champion. Lost and confused in a world of pain and violance he struggles to find out who he is and cope with the ache that is remembering a life he never really lived. One day he is plucked from the madness that is the arena and being a toy of the Galra only to find he now has to survive in the castle of lions with an untrusting host of Humans and Alteans,  an almost mirror image of himself and a pretty human boy with a sympathetic gaze and big blue eyes. He tries to justify his unatural existance to not just his 'rescuers' but also to himself...





	1. Wecome to the world Kuro

**Author's Note:**

> Wow! PHEW! My first ever fanfic and its up and ready to read.  
> Please leave any critism or questions you have for me in the comments below! (nothing is too small) I wont be able to get any better if i don't know what i'm doing wrong. :)

“Initiating test one. Standing by for any signs of physical reaction at your signal Doctor.”

Doctor Zelith nods along to the techy at the secondary control panel, anxiously licking at his chapped purple lips in an old nervous tick and wincing as his saliva stings the abused flesh. He can feel his skin pebble and the light fur on his neck raise as he becomes overly aware of the eyes trained to the back of his head. If he fails his lord Zarkon here it will be his throat this time for sure. 

Or worse.

His confidence in the experiment is high. It is his second attempt and he thinks he has all the quirks worked out this time for sure. After all, it isn’t as if this is a hard procedure to pull off even with the added Galra gene mix-ins to the original alien makeup of the human. They have had the technology and capability for generations now. Even if this particular cloning procedure isn’t necessarily standard practice by any means. Its just...the risk of failure is nerve wracking. One slip up in his genetic programming, one alien chromosome out of whack, one altered nerve out of sync and months of work will need to be trashed and started over from scratch.

But that is just the very top of a long list of ‘what if’s’ running through Zeliths mind at the moment. Sighing deeply the Doctor finishes typing in the last few lines of code before systematically locking the terminals testing switches down into place one by one incase of system failure.

‘Goddess forbid.’ He thinks.

“Well here goes nothing," Zelith grumbles under his breath, and in a much louder, hopefully more confident, voice states: “Experiment 2 consciousness test 1. Begin.” 

With that his palm comes down to press firmly into the scanner. A sharp BEEP BEEP resounding throughout the deathly silent room as the system acknowledges the order.

For a split second nothing happens and panic starts to settle down deep inside his chest, trying to bubble up and spill over. He stands a little straighter, gulps it back down and before he can take a breath to speak a violent spasm sends the clones body arching off the table.

Zelith snaps forward a step. A sharp gasp of either shock or relief sucking in past his teeth as he fixes his eyes on the clones face.

Pain.

His face is contorted into a silent scream, genetically modded fangs bared, bright yellow gold eyes wide and staring unseeingly at the wall behind him. 

He watches a hair longer as the veins start to stand out against the clones temple in strain, every muscle pulled taught as a wire vibrating under the stress. In an instant he’s on the panel again fingers racing to input the commands to shut off the energy current stimulating the clones nervous system and then with a short two taps its done. The clones body crashing back into the steel procedure table beneath him.

Deep gasping breaths shudder through the things frame. As the doctor looks up his eye catches on a thin line of blood running from beneath the cuff on his human wrist. Probably where he broke the skin from straining against it. With a near silent curse he steps around and out of his testing area, gently pulling gloves on past his claws so as not to rip them. With a wave of his hand he gestures the other two doctors off to the side of the room to step forward and do the same.

“I need one of you to stay on the monitor and chart any change in breathing and heart rate, the other one start mopping up that mess before Lord Zarkon sees. Goddesses tears. Barely even day one and we’ve already broken the damn things skin.” He tuts, just loud enough for the two to hear as they lean in to catch his words.

They stand statue still for one, two ticks before...

“NOW!” he snaps, temper flaring as they stare like newly whelped pups at him for his out of character use of language. That sends them scrambling and a small bit of satisfaction sets in to settle his frazzled nerves some.

“Tch!" he huffs picking up a small light and walking up to the side of the table.

“Well now. Hello there. I've been waiting for those pretty eyes of yours to open for quite some time now." He says more gently as he comes up to his creations right side. 

Not that he’s sure its brain has booted enough to understand anything he’s saying at the moment. Its really just the tone that counts here. The poor things eyes are rolling wildly, small animalistic whimpers and chuffs falling out of its slack mouth as it drools down its chin.

Zelith grabs a towel off a surgical tray nearby and gently but firmly shuts its mouth and wipes the bottom half of its face clean before tossing the towel over the crook of his own elbow. He pulls its right eyelid up to hold open as he flashes the sharp light into its cornea, gaging the pupils contraction at the invasive beam. He moves on to the second eye, crooning soothingly to the creature as it starts to thrash its head away from the unfamiliar contact, a distressed cry spilling forth.

“Hush now my boy. I'm not here to hurt you. Quite the opposite actually. Just making sure everything is running smoothly is all. Now hold still for me. Yes there's a good thing!" he murmurs. The creature calms some under his more gentle ministrations and he starts to check ears, nose, and mouth. It’s breathing settles down, chest rising and falling in a more natural way. The clones eyes seem to focus on his face and the crease in his brow smoothes as it takes in the gentle doctor hovering above it.

Zelith snaps his fingers by the right and then left ear, earning a slight wince each time that tells him its hearing is working just fine.

“Alright then…can you hear me?" He waits a tick with no response and tries again.

“My name is Doctor Zelith. I made you. Can you understand what I am saying? Nod for me if speaking is too hard for you at the moment.”

He waits a few more ticks and is about to try again when the creature blinks and wets its lips to stutter out a, “Y-y-yes.” It stiffly nods its head once in an affirming way, just in case. The doctor deflates a little as he sighs out.

‘Well there is definitely intelligence there which is a great sign this early on.’

“Good! Well welcome to the world Kuro. We have lots to accomplish today and I don’t want to push you too far so I’m going to need you to pay very close attention. Make sure to let me know how you are feeling, whether you need to slow down, or even if you are at your limit and need to stop. Can you do that for me?” He raises an eyebrow waiting for the response as he’s testing too see if the clone can follow along with the longer stream of information.

When he gets a hesitant nod in return he’s quick to reprimand.

“Speak up now boy. I haven't got all day."

The clones brow creases in concentration and little beads of sweat start to pop up. The doctor reaches behind him to set his instruments down and grab a tablet to type all the information so far into as he waits.

“Yes......I-I u-u-underst-stand.”

“Veeery good Kuro! Excellent really, you’re doing much better than I could have hoped for. Now I’m going to ask you some questions and if the answers don’t come to you at first do not panic. That is completely natural, okay?”

Doctor Zeliths eyes flicker up and around to catch his lord Zarkons eye through the glass of the back wall where he is waiting out in the observation room. The emperor waits until the doctor gives one definite appeased nod before whipping around, cloak fluttering behind him as he departs with a pleased smirk on his face. Relief floods the doctors system like cool water and he can feel the tension melting out of his old creaky back as he sighs.

He glances to the other side of the room to gesture the nearest assistant over who is just finishing throwing the bloodied gauze she had used to clean the cut with in the disposal shoot. She scurries over and he quickly whispers for her to report into Haggar that everything is running smoothly so far and that they are going to be getting ready to move on to physical testing soon. He sends the notes he has taken so far to her tablet so she can share them with the witch.

“How are those stats running?” he asks more loudly to the other doctor across the room.

“Smooth sir. Breathing and heart rate back down to normal human levels.”

“Hmm, good. Keep me updated on any changes.” He says before looking back to the naked clone on the table, still waiting on an answer to his previous question. 

Zelith can immediately tell he has lost the things attention. Its eyes roam as far as they can with its head being cuffed at the throat to the table beneath it; trying to soak up as much as it can of its surroundings. He gently taps on its cheek, making it start with a slight jump as its eyes refocus on his face. He can see the slight panic in its gaze; the confusion clear as day in the worried pucker of its brow.

“Where am I? What’s happening? Are you going to take my other arm? Am I going back in the arena? Is this another experiment? Please just let me go! I-I have a family. I have a life back on Earth. A home. I want to go home.” It starts to babble, whimpering pathetically in between pleas.

Zelith raises an eyebrow, registering the info down into his tablet before answering it’s questions.

“Calm down now pet. Everything will be okay." Zelith starts in a gentle low voice, trying to relax the clones nerves.

“Heart rate increasing sir." He’s notified.

He pauses before continuing, warily eying the clones face for signs of rising distress.

“You are a Galra soldier. You were made here on this ship and you have never been to a planet called Earth. These are not your memories you are accessing. These are the memories of the one they called ‘Champion’. A human captive we have cloned you in the image of.”

He stops as the clones breathing increases drastically. Silent tears start to leak from its wide golden gaze. Its chest is heaving now, fists clenching on thin air. The clone frantically starts to shake its head.

“No. Nononono. No! That isn’t - That’s not TRUE! Stop! Please! My name is Shiro. I am the Champion. Thats ME! What are you saying? Why are you messing with my head?” It starts to sob, thrashing against the restraints holding it in place.

Zelith sighs heavily, disappointment flashing across his face as he turns to hear, “Getting to dangerous rates sir. Best to shut it down for now.”

“Yes well, I guess it was too good to be true to get to the physical aspects in one day wasn’t it? Go ahead and get the injection ready.”

He turns back to the emotional wreck on the table, gently patting at its shoulder, murmuring praises of how well it was doing for the first day, how everything would make more sense after it had had some time to rest.

The assistant doctor walks up with the tranquilizer held out in hand and Zelith takes it before pressing it into the skin at the clones pulse point and pushing the dose directly into its racing bloodstream.

“There now this should help good fellow. Settle down now. Thats it. Breathe easy now, we’ll get you all sorted out soon enough.” he soothes as the clone feebly whimpers that his name is Shiro, he is human, he is from Earth. 

Its eyes start to flutter and then fall shut as its breathing evens out to the steady rise and fall of a deep sleep and its jaw falls slack.

“You are too gentle Zelith. You will ruin what little reputation you still have with that attitude of yours. You’re lucky you were chosen at all for this task just because of that.” The younger Galra doctor growls out in annoyance at the soft display towards the creature.

“Young man there is nothing wrong with compassion. Besides it yields results and if you plan on getting as far in your career as I have you will learn from my supposed ‘weaknesses’.” He scolds with a bit more bite in his tone than usual.

“This creature has a mess of pain waiting in its future and I’d rather not contribute to it on its first day in the known universe if you please.” He huffs.

The other just rolls his eyes and grumbles to himself as he makes his way around the room to start shutting down for the night. Too used to the odd tendencies of the old man they call a medical genius from being in his presence for ninety percent of the experiments time so far.

Seeming satisfied enough in the lack of response from the younger Zelith turns back to the clone, sighing heavily as he brushes the white forelock from its eyes.

“Good luck to you Kuro,” he whispers down to it, “you will need as much as you can get in a world as cruel as ours. I just hope you can forgive an old man for doing what he had to do to survive. You truly where not meant to be my boy.”

And with that he covers the naked frame of the clone with a warm sheet, ushers the stragglers out, turns down the lights, and leaves, locking the door behind him to get some shut eye. After all, tomorrow is going to be a big day for his creation and he needs as much sleep as he can to whether the storm to come.


	2. Where is Home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is the last chapter without the palladins.
> 
> This chapter is about Kuro slowly sinking into the madness that is his life with the Galra.
> 
> WARNING: This chapter has a lot of blood and gore. Do not read if you are uneasy with these things.
> 
> Buckle up buttercups! This is going to be a bumpy ride.

Kuro was trying. He was trying really hard. He ate when they told him to eat, ran when they told him to run, fought when they told him to fight. And oh did he fight. He ripped and shredded and bathed in the violence day after day after day.

He loved it.

A sick, feral, twisted part inside him lived for it; their screaming and thrashing and the steady throb of panic he could smell slothing off them in waves when they were pushed into his territory. Barricaded in with the mad beast that was the ‘Champion’.

The gore and the hot splash of blood that gushes into his mouth past his sunk in fangs as he bites into the windpipes of his prey tastes like honey. He gulps it down, feels it burn white hot in rivulets down his own throat and chest to splatter across the arena floor beneath his feet.

The arena was his kingdom and he got high off the coppery stench of blood and terror that filled the space like thick cloying perfume. The cheering of the audience was as familiar to him as the sound of his own heartbeat. And as the corpses he’d created fell away to the floor one by one he would raise his murderers’ hands high in the air, watching as the blood rained down from his clenched fists, basking in the roaring of the mob.

And Kuro would roar back.

 

~~~

 

Kuro hadn’t always been this way. No, he hadn’t always been mad. Hadn’t always cackled in delight as he watched the blood run free and the lights leave the eyes of his victims.

Once he had been kind. Once he had believed he was a good man. A man with people that cared for him. He had believed he was a man with a whole world to get back too.

But that wasn’t the truth. Those where just the whispers of a different soul still trapped within his bloodstream. Another mans life literally flashing before his eyes. The images of rolling green pastures, high mountains, glossy lakes, sunrises, and smiling faces did not belong to him. The smell of fresh cut grass, gasoline, good food, cologne, and even dog breathe had never been smelled with his nose. The feeling of arms wrapping him tight and another’s body heat pressed flush against his own skin had never REALLY existed for Kuro. He had never felt the tight slightly sweaty grip of another’s hand around his own, had never had another’s fingers run through his hair. He had never felt affection from anyone ever anywhere.

This above all else was what he had pinned after most in the begin. Comfort. The comfort, affection and reassurance that comes with being cared for and loved by another human being.

Night after night he would wrap his own cold arms around himself and sob into his knees for hours as he called out to a life that wasn’t his. For people that would never belong to him. And night after night there was no reply.

Kuro learned to hate his appearance in the mirror. He had two types of scars on his body. The light pink faded ones that came from the black paladin he was cloned from and the darker raised ones that he had received himself since his awakening. 

These where an angry hot color with ragged edges and rough textures. He didn’t know how to take care of them himself and Haggars doctors where less than kind in there treatments even when ‘healing’ him.

What really bothered Kuro though where the parts of himself that didn’t match up with the memories of his own face. The bright glowing yellow animalistic eyes, the sharp canines, and the pointed slightly elongated ears that twitched back and forth when trying to pick up noises. He had claws on his Galra arm that he didn’t remember being on the last one and his nose was slightly more upturned at the tip.

Kuro knew that along with the changes to his appearance came changes to his abilities as well. He could tell that his sense of smell was far superior, that his eyes where sharper, that he could hear ten times as well as his original copy. But none of this gave him comfort. It just took away from the little humanity he had left. Made him more alien than his own kind. It made him into a monster. 

He was a monster. 

With that realization came a newfound hatred of any reflective surfaces he encountered. He refused to meet his own gaze in the mirror when he shaved. Turned away from the too shiny metal surfaces in certain parts of the ship and kept walking past the glass walls in some corridors.

The Galra where a cruel people and a greedy people. They pushed him harder, ran him harder, hit him harder each day. Demanded more blood lust and less emotion, more anger and less hurt. As nights passed writhing in emotional pain and the days passed shrouded in a haze of physical pain Kuro found that giving the Galra what they wanted from him became easier and easier. 

Kuro learned to embrace his anger and rage at the unfairness of it all. Learned to use it as his armor and shield, and then later on he even learned to use it as his weapon. Kuros weapon against the entire universe. He was a human experiment in the dark of space and he had only himself to look too. Only himself to protect. Only Kuro, the Champion.

Each day he would wake up, undergo testing, training and experimenting until it was time. Then he would carve through body after body until he was exhausted and covered from head to toe in gore. At the end of his day he would be escorted to the baths, fed a cold tasteless meal and locked away in his cell until morning when the process would be repeated.

He tried to comfort himself with the knowledge that only one person would be walking out of that arena. That if he gave them the chance they would kill him to save themselves just as he was doing. Nightmares of the faces of those he had murdered flashed behind his sunken eyes as he cried himself to sleep at night. But with time he became numb to the pain he saw on their many faces. Eventually he couldn’t find it in himself to care about the damage he had done. The damage he was still doing in the light of survival.

Over time the Galra relaxed their hold on their wild pet enough for him to have his own schedule. He ‘earned’ his own room for being Zarkons favorite battle puppet and even got nicer clothes. The food was no longer cold and devoid of flavor. His mornings were no longer filled with the torture that was being Haggars outlet for experimentation. They seemed to have settled into a sort of contentment with his physical and mental state and Kuro was not about to be ungrateful for the change.

It was difficult in the beginning. All of a sudden he could make his own choices. All of a sudden he wasn’t being monitored 24/7.

Kuro didn’t know what to do with himself. He spent his free time either battling soldiers on the training decks or gazing out at the stars from the window of his new bedroom. Sometimes he could sit there for hours lazing in the quiet and peace of his privacy and other times he couldn’t sit still for more than a minute. Fidgeting about until he gave in and went to find willing opponents to practice against.

Finally he was summoned to meet Lord Zarkon in person. He was given a sign of favor in a small hand and a half blade that he was instructed to learn to use in battle. It was a beautiful piece. A deep gray that swirled with a purple sheen when tilted this way and that in the light. Its Black handle fit his palm perfectly and the weight of it balanced out nicely when sitting on the flat of his palm. He could tell that it was a very expensive gift and he hated it immediately. To him it just showed that he was still not good enough for his Galran masters. Was still not enough of a killing machine to apiece their thirst.

“With this you will become unstoppable. Wield it with your flesh hand and become the true champion.” Zarkon had rumbled out to him in his deep rough voice as he knelt before his throne in the cavernous, cold audience chamber.

Kuro had kept his head bowed low and nodded with a curt “Sir.” in acknowledgment.

Seeming pleased with his warrior pet Zarkon dismissed him, assigning different instructors to him for his sword practices.

Life went on like this for a while until Kuro grew bored. He had mastered the blade flawlessly. After all its all he was made to do. Be the perfect machine of death. He had nothing else to occupy his time. Occasionally he took enjoyment from chatting up the soldiers around the ship. Sometimes even joining in on their games and drinking. Sometimes he would make a nuisance of himself just for the attention. He would flash his shit eating grin as he walked by just to ruffle feathers. Mutter obnoxious things to the wrong people to start fights. Flirt with the wrong mate to see the violet blush of jealousy wash over their lovers’ faces. 

But causing trouble only entertained him for so long.

No matter how long or hard he trained, no matter how many broken bodies he left to bleed out in the sand, and no matter how many fights he started with the ships soldiers he could never completely fill the emptiness inside his chest. It felt hallow and sunken despite the thick muscle that covered every inch of his scarred body. Every night he would dream of the world that had belonged to the black paladin. Every morning he would wake up with a deep dull ache in his bones that called out for a world he missed terribly. A world he had no right to miss to begin with.

Sitting in his big empty bed one night Kuro pulled his legs tight to his chest, rested his chin on his knees and stared out at the stars. He sat like this for a long time thinking about the black paladin and his comrades fighting somewhere out there in the dark. He had heard of the war against the Paladins of Voltron. He wasn’t stupid. He could hear the heated whispers in the halls he sometimes stalked at night. Voltron was coming. The strikes against the empire becoming more frequent; more daring. 

Slowly he felt a building sense of purpose. His golden eyes flicked down to stare at the fresh cuts and nicks scarring the palm of his hand. He squeezed his human fist tight, flexing his forearm to feel the great gash there throb in a dull ache. He was tired he realized. He wanted peace. He wanted to love someone and be loved in return. He wanted to feel safe and whole.

“When they come I will escape into the dark of space. I will travel far away across the universe to a place I can call home. I will find Earth.” Tears slowly dripped down the sharp angles of his cheeks and he watched as the gash reopened on his forearm, a thin line of red mirroring the salty water dripping from his chin.

“And maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to find happiness as well.” Kuro whispered to himself. It was a weak vow. But it was the only one he allowed himself in the hell that he lived.

Life went on this way for Kuro as the months passed. Then a year. Until finally he lost who he was. The sense of purpose he had gained while daydreaming about a far off world slowly died within him and Kuro’s humanity silently died alongside it.

Kuro lost himself to the madness of the arena.

 

~~~

 

Kuro shivers now; eyes gleaming with malice and amusement as the limp body slides off his blade and the crowd roars its approval. He hurtles the tip of his blade down to sink into the sand beside the aliens corpse. Kuro roars back long and strong, smacking his Galra fist against his chest and barring his fangs in challenge to the whole universe around him. He shoves his hands high, high, high up in the air as the blood falls to paint his face his favorite color.

He tilts his head back as far as he can and stands tall on the tips of his toes and laughs and laughs and laughs. Throwing his arms out wide at his sides he screams to the stands around him, “I AM THE CHAMPION!”

He looks up high in the stands to the man that started this all. The man that had him created. As the roiling mob around him shouts one word over and over he watches the proud smile grace the face of Lord Zarkon.

Standing in the blood-soaked sand around him Kuro purrs to himself in contentment.

‘I am home.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know we are 4k in with the team no where in sight! But I think it was necessary to show just what life was like for Kuro and the things he had to go through before meeting them to fully understand his character.
> 
> Anyway sorry if this was too angsty!
> 
> I love fluff and happy endings so trust me its coming. This will be a happy story. Pinky swear.
> 
> Again if you have questions or ideas please comment or message!


	3. Who Knew Love Would Be This Hard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so Langst ahead!
> 
> This chappy is in three parts.  
> Firts parts Lances POV  
> Second is Shiro's  
> and then we switch back over to our darling mocha baby Lance.
> 
> Enjoy!

Lance can’t sleep. He can never sleep nowadays. Not with Mr. Perfect Cogane hanging off the man of LANCES dreams every damn day.

The couple is so damned sugar sweet with each other they’re going to give the rest of the team cavities just from being in the same ship… castle...thingy....whatever.

Lance huffs out a tired sigh dropping his head into a hand and scrubbing at his swollen eyes as if that will help erase the evidence of his latest crying spell.

He is sitting in a window off the dining area, one hand stretched out over a raised knee while the other hand has moved to scratch at the back of his neck. After a moment of staring out into the dark he looks down at his ticker and it takes him a second of calculating to figure it’s about 4:52 in Earth time.

People will be up soon and he has to pull himself together. The castle comes to life at 5:30 sharp. He should get outta here, maybe catch an actual shower and start some of that nasty coffee wannabe drink they picked up at the last swap moon.

He should... but he doesn’t. 

Not yet at least. He allows himself a few extra minutes to just sit in the window seat and stare into the dead space outside before beginning to rouse his sluggish sleep deprived body. He swings his leg out over the lip of the window and stretches his arms above his head, arching his back and humming at the satisfying sound of his cracking joints when he does.

A loud bang and a muttering noise from somewhere on the other side of the dark room makes him jump into full wakefulness. He slides down from his perch quickly and rubs a hand over one of his naked shoulders trying to soothe the goose flesh that has risen in the chilly room. He should have put on more than his sleep shorts and tank top he thinks absently to himself as he walks over toward the sound.

“Hello?” He whispers into the dark by the door.

“Lance! Oh, good morning. Sorry I didn’t mean to startle you. I just uhm... I uh, stubbed my toe. Not used to walking around the castle before the lights, you know?”

Lance bemoans himself in his head. ‘Just had to stick around a few more minutes, didn’t you?’ he snarks internally. Of course it would be Shiro to stumble in on his pity party. The irony of it all is too much to handle on the little bit of sleep he’s had.

Out load he just mumbles something about going to take a shower before he tries to squeeze by the big man standing slightly in front of the door to the hall.

A cold metal hand wraps around his wrist, pulling him around quickly. It makes his heart jump in his chest, blood rushing to his face embarrassingly fast. Hopefully Shiro won’t be able to see it in the gloom.

“Hey wait, Lance! Are you...are you okay? You don’t look so good. Do you wanna talk about it?” Shiro leans in a little farther. The little worried crease in his brow is doing funny things to Lances heart. He swallows the stubborn thing back down into his ribs where it belongs.

‘Oh Shiro, If only you knew. Your just too kind for your own good. How could I not have fallen so hopelessly in love with you?’

Lance gives him a tired smirk raising a brow cockily.

“Shiro, bro, I’m good. Just you know, nightmares and stuff. Galra monsters and space pirates and the usual whatnot, you feel me? I’m good. Really!” he adds, gently removing the mans hand from his wrist and patting his shoulder in a goodwill gesture, praying that he won’t be seen through.

Shiro buys it. 

Lance is never caught really. The only person outside of his family to ever see through his bluffs is Hunk and knowing him the big guy is probably knocked out in his own room right now snoring like a freight train.

Shiros eyes crinkle up at the edges as he chuckles lowly, giving Lance his own tiny smile in return. Lances stomach flips and he inhales a little breathe of a gasp before dropping his eyes to the floor and away from the angel before him. 

‘Pull it together McClain!’ He silently curses himself.

“Well if you’re sure. Just... know that you can talk to me about anything that’s bothering you, alright? You guys are all like family to me. I don’t want you to ever feel alone out here. Okay?”

Well damn, that stings. Stupid heart. Stupid feelings. Lance absently rubs at his chest as if he can physically smooth away the ache.

“Yeah! Yeah sure thing Shiro. I’ll do that. Thanks bud.” Lance smiles and tosses his free hand up in a little salute before skipping out the door backwards.

He can feel the smile melt off his face as soon as he turns the corner.

 

~~~

 

Shiro watches Lance leave before the smile he’s glued to his face slips away and his arms flop to his sides. He puffs out a big breath staring absentmindedly at the empty doorframe before finally moving on further into the dark room. He slowly feels his way over to the ‘coffee maker’ before pressing the series of buttons he practically knows by heart know into the machine and waits for it to burble awake. Once satisfied that its doing its job he turns to lean backwards on the counter, another gut deep exhalation swooshing out of his lungs as he tries to work through his jumbled thoughts.

He’s known for a long time now. Weeks. Months maybe. Lance isn’t as good at hiding as he might think. If Shiro hadn’t caught on first then Keith definitely would have and eventually let him know.

Sometimes he feels eyes tracking him and turns to see a very overly occupied looking Lance off in the corner doing nothing. Other times when the other man is too far gone in his head he’ll actually make eye contact before the younger gives him a small heartbroken smile and seems to shake himself out of his stupor.

The problem isn’t that he KNOWS Lance has a huge crush on him. No that’s not the problem at all. The problem here is that Shiro really just doesn’t know how to handle it. It was surprising enough that the one boy in the world he’d ever loved had somehow miraculously loved him back despite his vast flaws. But now Lance? What did he even see in him anyways?

It was easier to accept that Keith could have feelings for him because he had actually known him before he had been damaged. Back before the Galra had chewed him up and spat him back out. Back before the panic attacks and the scars. Back before the murders and the loss of a whole appendage. Back before he had been broken.

But Lance? What was it that he saw that could make him look at him that way? What had he done to deserve that heart wrenching little half smile, those cute blushes that sprang up when he began to strip off his heavy armor post battle? He really did not know.

He just wasn’t worth it! Wasn’t worth the unintentional hurt he was causing the pretty little cuban boy.

And he missed his friend and teammate. He missed the sound of his boisterous laughter. Missed the warm feeling he’d bestow upon the whole group in tight situations when he’d drop some terrible and unexpected pun out of nowhere over the coms. He missed the scheming looks and secretive glances when something devious was running through his mind.

Now the only side of Lance he saw was a hurting one. A sad Lance just didn’t fit in with his image of the younger man.

He just felt so...sooo...GUILTY! He felt awful. He didn’t know how to approach the younger man and every attempt died and dried up on his tongue before he could choke out the very first syllable.

Shiro knew his lover was beginning to become frustrated with the situation. Keith was curt and straightforward. If he had it his way he would have just marched right up and got down to the point. He couldn’t understand why Shiro was hesitating. Didn’t understand when he’d freeze up in front of the pretty little mocha skinned man and turn tail and run for the hills.

Shiro’s sure that in Keiths eyes by not addressing it he’s betraying their relationship in some sort of way. Honestly the added pressure isn’t helping his situation at all, but Keith really HAS been better behaved than he could have ever dreamed of about the whole thing.

Shiro just doesn’t want to hurt Lance anymore than he already is. Where Keiths argument is that it’s really just cruel to let the him go on the way he is.

Yes he does see his point, but still... Lance is more fragile than he likes to let on. What if Shiro says the wrong thing? How can he make this as painless as possible for the younger man? How can he reassure Keith in the meantime?

“......Who knew love would be this hard.” he mumbles to the empty space around him.

“Well I for one have known for a long time! That’s why I don’t mess around with that stuff. Why what’s up man? You and Keith going through a rough patch? You guys seemed pretty fine to me smooching on the couch last night.” Hunk pops up out of nowhere, already shuffling through the cabinets for cookware and pulling down breakfast ingredients as he talks to Shiro over his shoulder.

He has one eyebrow raised in an unimpressed way as he catches Shiro’s mortified expression.

“Oh man. Was that supposed to be like some private talking out loud just now? Because if you want I can like walk out and pretend to come back in as if I haven’t been here for the last five minutes.”

Shiro’s face is quickly becoming the exact shade of a tomato and he ducks his head down to self-consciously cough into his human fist.

“No! Uh, your good. I was just, you know, zoned out I guess. My bad. Good morning Hunk.” He smiles up at him hoping the other will just shrug off his earlier mutterings.

No such luck.

Hunk stares at him for another two ticks before turning back to the task at hand.

“So what’s up man? It’s not like you to lose track of yourself like that. You okay? I’m pretty good at bro hugs you know if you ever need some fluffin up!” Hunk chuckles to himself head shoved into the back of the fridge looking for something else.

“Oh yeah I’m alright I guess...Actually Hunk, have you noticed anything off about Lance lately?” Shiro squeezes out. 

He turns his head away nervously, sweat beading on his forehead as he busies his hands by repeatedly wringing out a piece of paper trash his fingers brushed up against on the counter behind him.

Hunk immediately snaps to attention, sharp brown eyes taking in Shiros flustered expression. He shuts the fridge behind him; egg substitute mission temporarily put on hold. A few awkward ticks later Hunk sighs and starts to rub at the back of his neck.

“Ah man. You noticed, didn’t you? I mean I figured you would eventually. You couldn’t be dense about it forever right?” Shiro flinches a little at the dense remark but then Hunk continues on.

“So when did you realize my mans got a big fat crush on ya, huh? Was it the googly eyes? It was the googly eyes wasn’t it?”

Shiro shakes his head quickly holding his hands up in front of him. “No! No that’s not...well actually maybe. But I’ve known for a while. I just don’t know what to do about it.” He admits hanging his head in shame.

“Okay I think I see what’s up here. You afraid of hurting Lances feelings?”

Shiro nods along in a hopeless manner. 

“Ugh!” he growls out. 

“I’m sorry I know this isn’t very leaderly of me. I’m just not used to NOT having an answer to problems. I don’t know what to say to him and you know Keiths all over my back about it.” Shiro admits hesitantly.

“Yeah that does sound rough buddy. But well, love is war right? Lance just needs something to help him move on, you know?”

At that exact moment there’s a commotion at the entrance to the dining room that draws there attention.

“Lance?” Keith starts. “What are you doing hiding out in the doorway? Could you be any creepier? It’s too early for your games.”

Hunk and Shiro freeze in place. 

‘Shit!' They think together as they see an absolutely mortified very wet looking Lance stumble into the room from the doorway, dropping the towel from around his neck in the process. A clearly confused and grouchy Keith having just given him a light shove on the shoulder to dislodge him from his peeping spot.

There is a very heavy pause before Hunks face settles into a look of concern and he goes to take a step forward. Lance panics and throws both arms out as if to hold him off. His face is contorted into a mix of fear and pain and just like that he turns on his heal and sprints.

“LANCE!” Hunk shouts after him.

Shiro swallows thickly looking down as Keith tries to catch his eye.

“What is going on here? You guys know it’s not even 6am right?” Keith asks in his grumpy morning voice.

Neither of the other men answer. Fed up, Keith sighs and shuffles in to get his shitty coffee.

 

~~~

 

‘Oh my God, oh my God, Oh my God. How could I have been that STUPID?! That DUMB!’ Lance screams to himself as he sprints away. 

His blush is so deep he’s sure it’s spread to the top of his chest. He has never been so embarrassed in his life. He doesn’t pay attention to where he is running until the doors to the lion hangar clack open before him. A tiny sob breaks past his lips as he trots the rest of the way over to his big blue girl. 

He can feel her concern and curiosity for him rolling off of her in waves as she bends down and opens her mouth for him to climb inside before closing her jaws and lifting him high up in the air.

“Blue,” he sobs curled up into his pilots chair. 

“I’m so stupid girl… He knew. He knew all along. Why didn’t he ever say anything?! Why didn’t he just come up and shut me down? I wish he had. It would’ve been so much better than this.”

His lion is clearly still a little confused. Not entirely in-tune with the jumbled up romantic feelings within her paladin. Lance can feel the rumbling that is her mechanical purr start to vibrate through the piloting pit as he just cries and cries and cries. After a while it starts to have the desired effect, calming his heartbroken cries into quieter whimpers and gasps for air.

Lance stays with her for a long time, hours maybe, until the screen blinks to life before him displaying a tiny human figure down below them waving up at the big blue lion.

Hunk.

Lance isn’t ready to confront him. Isn’t ready to see the pity in his best friends eyes. He doesn’t think he can speak to him without breaking down again right now.

“Blue...Take me away. Let’s go on a day trip girl. Take me far away from here. Just for a little while. Okay?” Lance whispers, barely audible. 

He can feel that she has heard him though. Blue doesn’t even hesitate for a second. Systems coming on in an instant. Lance huddles farther into his chair, just enjoying the feeling of going for a ride. Not too soon after he blinks his tired swollen eyes and drifts off into a mercifully dreamless sleep.

Blue will keep him safe. She always does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor baby boy
> 
> But the upside to this chapter is that Lance and Kuro finally meet next chapter!
> 
> WHOOP WHOOP!
> 
> Haha let me just add that I love writing Hunk. He is so much like me honestly. 
> 
> Yeah we would be best friends.
> 
> Move over Lance. (Jk)


	4. Eyes Like the Ocean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuro sees another human for the first time.

Lance slowly wakes to an all over soreness. Blues cockpit is going haywire and he can feel her there in the back of his mind nudging him into some form of consciousness despite the pain. She is insistent. 

‘WAKE UP’ she seems to be saying to him. 

It’s rare to feel her this flustered, if he didn’t know any better he would say that his lion is almost frantic.

Lance tries to sit up. Blinking in confusion. The emergency alarms are blaring. The only way he can tell is from the flashing lights. The sound itself is only a dull rumble to his ears. Dimly he can feel the shaking of his lion as she thunders her rage. He shakes his head some to try and dislodge the ringing between his ears. The motion only serves to make him extremely dizzy and nauseous.

Something is very very wrong. 

‘What happened? I was sleeping in Blues chair...where are we? And is that...blood?’ Lance reaches up to feel his head, coming away with a red hand. 

His stomach churns at the coppery smell and he almost passes out from how light headed he becomes.

“Oh God.” He groans. 

His head hurts so bad. He can’t think straight. He must have been thrown from his chair he realizes dully.

“Seatbelts save lives.” He grumbles, weakly trying to rise to his knees.

If he can just crawl to the chair, buckle himself in, then maybe he can figure out what’s happened. He rolls over shakily trying to balance on hands and knees as the ship rocks violently. The whole thing rolls sideways as if hit by something huge and heavy. Lance is thrown forward and he grabs at the chair leaning over the edge to barf all over the place. 

‘Great.’ Blue won’t be happy about that. 

He pulls his body into the chair, flopping down heavily, his hands starting to scrabble at the harness. They are shaking so badly he can’t even tell if he’s doing it right or not.

“Damn.”

Lance looks up in time to see a huge purple beam being let loose in the direction of blues head.

“BLUE!”

She rolls away from the beam throwing her legs out to stop her momentum long enough to fire a charge back at the oncoming ship.

Lance feels his heart stop in his chest. Oh my quiznack. They are completely surrounded by Galra ships. How did this happen?!

Lance reaches up to flick on his com to call for help. But it’s not there. 

‘Shit! SHITSHITSHIT!’ He doesn’t even have his suit on! He looks down at his jeans and jacket, swallowing thickly. No armor. No helmet. No bayard. This is beyond bad.

“Blue get me a feed to the castles control room. We need to call in some reinforcements here girl." 

A shaky image flashes up in front of him. It fizzes in and out but it’s enough for him to be able to tell that no one is in the room. Lance almost sobs in frustration.

“Record a message for me Blue.” Lance chokes out, wincing as another heavy hit makes his lion flip several times before her thrusters come on to right herself again. Lance waits for the little red light to blink on in the corner of his screen before he takes a shaky breathe and continues.

“Mayday mayday this is Lance coming in from a huge shit storm here! Could use some help like immediately guys. Blue doesn’t look like she's going to hold up for much longer and honestly, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to stay conscious myself. I’m having Blue send out our coordinates now. Please Hurry!....... End feed.” 

The screen flashes back to the mayhem outside and Lance looks down at the controls in front of him. He doesn’t think he can pilot any better than Blue is doing right now. Not with his head like this. He probably has a concussion.

Blue is ducking and weaving as fast as she can, trying to find a whole in the net of ships around them, but she can’t dodge forever. The more damage she takes the slower she is to react. Lance can tell she’s on the brink of system shutdown and all he can do is hold on tightly to the arm rests of his seat. He’s really just trying not to puke a second time at this point. His head lolls with the jarring blasts that rock his lion.

A particularly rough hit makes his head slam back into the chairs headrest and black spots dance across his vision. His eyes are slowly slipping shut in spite of how hard he is fighting to stay awake. The last thing Lance sees before passing out is the pit slowly growing dark around him. The steady strong presence in his mind fading along with it.

“Blue…” He whimpers and then Lance is lost to the void.

 

~~~

 

Allura doesn’t know what to do about this rowdy bunch of humans. 

‘They are practically children!’ She thinks, not for the first time since meeting them.

“I mean honestly!” She huffs in frustration. 

“Even the black paladin is stirring up trouble now, Coran. I mean I suppose it is to be expected of Lance with him being such a flirt. But still! These humans and their romantic notions always getting in the way of things. We are fighting a war against half the known universe and they are fighting over who gets to sleep in who’s bed?! And now the blue paladin is who knows where and he left his gear? How irresponsible.” She growls.

Allura can feel her pulse throbbing in her temple as she watches Coran start to boot up the control systems. He nods along to her ranting and raving, shooting her a small sympathetic smile as she rages. 

Coran knows she doesn’t mean it. It’s hard for him too. Missing someone who’s been gone for so long. The humans really are a very affectionate race and sometimes it’s hard not to remember what it was to love with that kind of passion. After all, it might have been thousands of years in the past, but for them it felt like just a couple years ago that they had had their loved ones in their arms. Safe and warm.

A flashing red blip catches his attention on the main screen.

“Princess! It would seem that someone has left us a message! Should I play it for you now?” Coran quirks a brow, looking over his shoulder for her answer.

“Yes, please do. It could be Lance. Or a distress signal from a nearby solar system.”

The screen flickers to life showing a haze of flashing blue lights and a very bloody panicked Lance before it goes staticky. His voice is warbled and cuts in and out but she can tell he’s trying hard to yell over the sounds of the sirens and battle in the background.

Allura can feel her shaky hands come up to cup around the bottom half of her face. Tears pricking at her eyes.

“Oh no...Lance!” She whispers. Watching as the rest of the transmission plays in and out of focus.

When the screen goes black she turns to Coran and asks, “When?”

Coran turns around to pull up the log and hesitates before answering.

“Coran! WHEN?!When did we recieve this message?” Her eyes are wide with fear, dreading his next words.

“Hours ago Princess.” He turns with a defeated look to his face. “Lance is long gone by now.”

“AHHRRG!” She bellows whipping around to punch a dent into the nearest metal surface.

There is a moment of silence filled with nothing but her enraged panting before she straightens up and stalks toward the door to suit up.

“Get the other paladins up here immediately. Tell them to come prepared for battle.” She snaps dress flaring behind her in her haste.

“Yes Princess!” Coran turns back around to stare at the thumbnail image of lance, bloody and terrified, beside his transmission entry in the log.

“Hang on young paladin. Help is on the way.”

 

~~~

 

Kuro couldn’t believe his ears. He scratched a sharp clawed finger into the right one. Maybe he just needed to clean them out. He flickered them a couple times just for good measure before pressing the same side back down to the crack he hovered over.

‘The blue paladin? Here on Zarkons ship?... Naaaah! Couldn’t be.’

He had been snooping again in his boredom. Listening in on the intel room from a loose panel in the ceiling. (Oops! How did that happen?) Really, he’d just been there to get some juicy gossip to work with against his newest target. A.K.A the new intel guy.

But this news was so much...more.

He chuckled as he crawled his way out of the ventilation system and dropped down to the floor with cat like grace, jogging back to his room to grab his best knife. It was a dark grey with a black handle and a purple sheen to it. A gift from his Lord Zarkon.

Half an hour later found Kuro pacing back and forth on the thin ledge of a balcony window in the throne room. He was too high up in the shadows to be detected by just anyone. Haggar hadn’t even seemed to notice his eavesdropping yet. But he could tell that Zarkon had ferreted him out within the first five minutes as if to say, ‘You can’t sneak passed me young one, I am the most powerful creature in the entire universe.’

And he was. Kuro had never encountered another being like him before and from what he’d gathered from the now weak memories of the human man Takashi, he hadn’t either in his much longer life.

But Kuro’s patience was quickly wearing thin. Not once in the last ten minutes had there been any mention of the blue paladin being captured. Was intel mistaken? Or had they already addressed the issue of their newest shining gem?

He had just made up his mind to go check the prison wing when the wide doors of the throne room began to groan open.

Kuro tiptoed the edge of his vantage point leaning haphazardly out over the wide empty space below for a better look at the brown haired, brown skinned boy they drug in. He was held up between two drone sentries, completely slack in their grasp. Probably unconscious. Half his face was covered in red and Kuro could just barely sniff out the slight sweetness of blood wafting up into the rafters where he was now squatting, fingers wrapped tightly around the edge he alighted on.

He licked his lips before standing to scurry along the ledge to the back wall above Zarkons Throne. Grabbing ahold of one of the thick embellishment drapes on the back wall he quickly and quietly slid to the marble floor below stalking up behind his masters chair from the shadows.

No one was surprised by his sudden presence at Zarkons side. The only reaction coming from Haggar on the other side of the throne in the form of an annoyed grunt. She barred one side of her teeth to him and he smirked before turning away, only serving to urk her further.

Kuro was Zarkons favorite pet. He had free roam of the ship besides top secret areas that only the highest ranking druids and commanders where allowed part of. Not that that kept him out.

He was a source of entertainment for their ruler in that he was as wild, untamable and as mad as a hare. Unstoppable in battle once given into his blood lust.

The only person whose words had any sway over the clone was Lord Zarkon himself. He was the only person able to rope in the feral man when he went on a rampage. Kuro was Zarkons dog. And he quite enjoyed his position thank you very much.

Kuro watched the procession of guards draw near and he hopped down a few steps to sprawl lazily across the foot of the throne. He purred to himself as he got a better look at the beaten human boy who was tossed to the floor just before the space he occupied.

Curiously he leaned forward, stretching a hand out to touch. This boy was the first human he had ever seen outside of the old memories locked away in his head. A disapproving sound from above him had his hand stilling in the air. His outstretched claws a hairs breath away from the boys blood spattered fleshy cheek.

Kuros ears flicked back a little, gaze narrowing in agitation. He threw his head backwards staring upside down at the man above him, pout clear on his features.

“Why can’t I touch him?” He grumbled.

“Because I said no.” Zarkon snapped. 

He didn’t like being questioned. He may have been extremely tolerant of his warrior pet but he could only publicly stand for so much.

There is a long silence as Kuro stares at the man above him from his upside down position. His face completely blank. The tension breaks when a cheshire grin curls across the clones features and he whips his head forward, breaking eye contact.

Kuro languidly rolls his shoulders up in a shrug before chirping, “As my Lord commands.”

Zarkon doesn’t say anything more, just slides his hard glare from the back of his pets head to the boy at the foot of his throne.

Zarkon gestures with two clawed fingers to the guard at the boys side and there is an audible groan as the paladins head is wrenched back by his short brown hair. His eyes fluttering open from the pain.

Kuro sits forward, golden gaze wide with wonder as he stares into the bluest eyes... 

‘Just like the ocean.’ He thinks. 

He’s always wanted to see Earths oceans and now, looking into the eyes of this human boy, he kind of feels like he has.

The humans frightened eyes flick here and there as he gulps down his rising panic. When his eyes settle on him Kuro perks up at the instant spasm of shock and recognition that flashes across the young paladins face.

“Shiro?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter.
> 
> Anyway comment below what you think.
> 
> Next chapter there will actually be Kuro and Lance cmmunication.
> 
> Wowzers I know! Kuro? Communicating? Maybe even bonding a little bit? Who knows.


	5. Was it Worth it? Yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so deep in the hell that is the Voltron Fandom universe. Honestly how will I ever claw my way out of this? But the real question is 'Do I even want to leave it?' 
> 
> Hell no.
> 
> Just a heads up this Chapter was sooo much fun for me to write. Like I love Kuro so much.

Kuro hated remembering the life of Takashi Shirogane. Hated it with the kind of passion that makes you want to lock a thing up, dig a deep hole, bury said thing and then swallow the key. Or better yet; just toss that shit right out the air lock and be done with it.

Kuro wasn’t human. He hadn’t lived a human life or had any human interactions or experiences. He had lived HIS entire life on a Galra ship in space surrounded by violent furry purple people. He didn’t have the soft edges that humans had. The emotions where there but there was nothing to feed them. Humans ran off of other human interaction and pack closeness. This was not the case for the galra.

Galra held relationships yes. They had close friends and relatives and lovers. But it was all so clinical and cold shouldered compared to his memories from Takashi. Even your closest companions where held at arms length for the Galra. Kuro had always assumed that their emotional range just wasn’t as vast as that of a humans. 

This information did not serve to make Kuro feel superior to them in that department though. It was the opposite. Kuro despised his humanly ingrained soft nature. To be fair though he wasn’t sure if it was an ‘all of the human race’ thing or if it was a ‘Takashi Shirogane’ thing. Either way he cursed this part of himself.

Kuro loathed the pity that sometimes sparked low in his gut; detested the compassion and caring that came with his human biology. It was a weakness that he had conditioned out of himself a long time ago.

Being in the arena everyday left no room for such vulnerabilities. He could not be the savage beast he needed to be with that side of himself running amuck in his head unbridled and unpredictable.

Kuro still remembered the day his hand had hesitated over a year ago in battle against a creature far weaker, far less hulking and threatening than himself. The bitch had left a huge gash across the left side of his chin that stretched down his throat and across his jugular and it had never quite healed right. He had been lucky to walk away from that one. Far too close a call for his tastes. And over what? A cowering female that took all of half a second to dispatch? 

If that knife had pierced even a fraction of an inch deeper.... well let’s just say that he had decided then and there as he lopped her head off to roll away in the sand that this mistake would never be repeated again. And it hadn’t been. Not once. When that giant iron wall boomed shut behind him his walls came up. Kuro had taught himself to be nothing more or less than an animal as soon as he felt the shift of arena sand beneath his boots.

Kuro had a survival system. He had a strict set of rules that he followed to a T. and he was still standing here so they seemed to be working.

Rule one: Do not think about Takashi’s memories.   
Rule two: Do not get attached.  
Rule three: Whatever you do, do not fall in love.

Kuro should have guessed that meeting another human being might put strain on these few simple rules.

“Shiro?"

With one word from the boy below him rule number one goes hurtling out the window. Not to be seen again anytime in the near future.

‘Well shit.’ he thinks to himself with an amused giggle.

He hums out loud as he stands from his careless sprawl. Metal claws come up to scratch beneath his chin, giving the young paladin a perfect view of the large red scar running beneath his chin and along the length of his thick neck. His other arm coming up to wrap around his chest to rest his bionic elbow upon.

“Shiro, huh?” He all but purrs, hooded eyes coming down to meet the confused gaze beneath him as a slow wicked smile carves its way across his face to show off his perfectly pointed canines. 

“Oh sweetheart.” Kuro drawls, voice dripping heavy as maple syrup. He licks his rough tongue over one fang savoring the look on the young mans face. “Don’t you wish.”

 

~~~

 

Lance had never been so terrified in his entire life. 

‘Don’t you wish.’ The guy had said, and ooooh boy did he ever. 

The whole display had him tiptoeing between the edge of being sick to his stomach with the solid realization that this was NOT Shiro and just praying to god that he didn’t pop an entirely inappropriate boner right then and there in front of the most dangerous beings in the whole known universe. I mean geez Louise, could the guy be any more of an exhibitionist?! 

Hadn’t it been enough that he was captured and beaten up for goodness sake? Did he really deserve to be tormented by a very dangerous looking even sexier version of the man he’d been running away from when he got himself into this whole mess?

Lance gawks up at him, taking in the bright yellow eyes, the slightly longer white forelock that tickles the bridge of his straight nose, the elven like ears twitching forward in amusement, the devilish mouth full of sharp looking teeth and the truly vicious scar running from the tip of the mans chin to the hollow of his throat. 

His look over pauses there as he thinks to himself, ‘How does a person even survive something like that?’ The next second his eyes are roaming down the rest of ‘not Shiro’s body, immediately realizing with an embarrassed flush to his cheeks that the guy is dressed head to toe in nothing but tight fitting black material.

He looks just like Shiro but Lance can quickly pinpoint many physical differences as well. This version of Shiro reminds him of the bull sharks that would roam off the coast of California where he grew up surfing. His shoulders seem wider with the extra muscle, his waist almost impossibly trimmer. The clothes leave very little to the imagination and Lance swears he could probably slice his hand open on the mans abdomen.

His thick muscled arms are left completely unprotected all the way up past his shoulder where the meshy fabric begins at the edges of his collarbone, effectively showing off the much denser scarring painted across them. He’s wearing some sort of harness across his chest that connects to the thick black belt strapped tight around his waist. His thighs are thicker than Shiro’s as well. 

The guy’s not like body builder or G.I. Joe big but there is still a definite size difference between the two. His heavy black boots are laced tightly up his calves and Lance can see the hilt of a large knife sticking up from the left one. His human side.

Lance swallows thickly eyebrows raising in apprehension. 

“You aren’t Shiro.” Lance hates how his hesitant wobbly voice so easily gives away his fright. 

“Who are you? Please god tell me that you aren’t in my head because I hit it pretty hard earlier and I’m pretty sure seeing twisted evil versions of your friends isn’t exactly a great sign.”

‘Not Shiro’ throws his head back with a loud guffaw and then in a flash he’s kneeling before lance, hands gripping harshly onto both his cheeks as he forces eye contact. With a smirk he leans forward, licking a large stripe up the bloodied side of his face with a distinctly feline purr. 

Lance’s brain short circuits for a moment and he is completely absolute positively one hundred percent sure that his face is melting off as the guy growls out a playful “I’m real enough, ocean eyes” into his ear.

“YOU DARE!” Zarkon roars, completely enraged with his pets lack of obedience. 

He rockets up from his throne, storming over to a now respectfully distanced Shiro look alike who, might Lance add, doesn’t look sorry in the least bit. The guy looks as if he is trying to fight a little shitty grin off his features and loosing miserably. Zarkon snatches him up by the harness across his chest and easily lifts him bodily into the air before him.

“I will not stand for direct defiance even from you Kuro.” Zarkon thunders. 

“Only a fool would think to disobey me this way before my very face! Was your little taste of the human whelp worth the pain you will endure as punishment my pet?” Zarkon practically spits the last bit into the mans face as he shakes his dangling body before him.

A mad spark seems to light inside the others eyes and all attempts at hiding his manic grin fall away. He squirms, his large smile and glowing yellow eyes almost impossibly wide with his mirth as he rumbles out a quiet, “I think it might just have been my lord.”

‘Holy crap! This guy has a death wish!’ Lances jaw hangs loose in his amazement. In his mind there is absolutely no way the guy is walking away from this.

Zarkon pulls him in almost nose to nose with both hands now as he bellows his fury at the much smaller mans response. To his credit ‘Not Shiro’ does look a little cowed then. He flashes a sheepish grin, squinting his eyes shut in the process as his ears dip down like a kicked puppy.

Zarkon looks to be completely done with the little shit in Lances opinion and then as if someone had flipped a switch the emperor seems to let out all his steam in one exhausted heave before he slings the man through the air, tossing him as easily as a doll at the feat of Haggar the druid witch.

“See to it that the little maggot is whipped thoroughly for his hard headedness. Make it thirty lashes at the hands of whomever you see fit...Now.” He adds, almost as an afterthought.

Haggar seems all too eager to comply as she holds out a hand before her, wispy black shackles curling their way around the mans wrists as he hops up from the floor, seeming to shake off being tossed bodily across the width of the huge room as if it happens on an everyday basis.

Lance wouldn’t be surprised if it did.

“Oh, and Haggar.” Zarkon says, pausing to turn back toward the witch. “Make sure that he can still fight. It’s the pits for him tonight.”

She nods in understanding before turning and strutting out of throne room followed by a very bored looking Shiro look alike. Said man turns back one last time as if sensing the eyes of the blue paladin upon him to send a wink in Lances direction. The gesture makes Lances stomach ache a little with anxiety. 

‘How could anyone have such a lousy sense of self preservation.’

Lance watches Zarkon hesitantly as he waits for the throne rooms doors to boom shut behind them.

He forces a brave face as the evil Galra conqueror quickly bares down upon him. He straightens his spine and starts to struggle up off his knees, weak as a newborn foal. Having his arms tied behind his back wasn’t helping much either.

Zarkon comes to a stand still an inch or two before Lance reaching down to yank his head back with the ease of the alpha predator that he is. Every instinct within Lance screams for him to freeze and he has zero control over his body as it does just that. He can barely breathe with the long column of his neck so clearly exposed to the alien above him. A small whine escapes past his sealed lips and his eyes are wide with fear as he trains them somewhere off to the left side of the room where the emperor is tilting his head.

Lance can feel himself start to hyperventilate as Zarkons breathe slides across his exposed flesh and he gulps down the rising panic.

“Where are the other Palladins?” 

The question is asked in an almost gentle way, the exhale of the words against his throat making a shudder run up the length of his spine, but Lance doesn’t make a peep. He locks his jaw, seeing immediately where this is going. He tries to mentally prepare himself. Tries to shut down the voices screaming in alarm inside his head.

Lord Zarkon waits a mere three ticks before he is dropping Lance to floor in favor of securing his massive sharp clawed fist around the small mans neck instead. The hand is so large his fingers overlap and a sharp cry of alarm bubbles up past Lances defenses before he can stop it. His tiptoes can barely brush the ground beneath him and he tries desperately to suck in a deep calming breathe around the vise like grip around his throat.

Zarkon leans in a little closer, eyes narrowed in barely contained agitation. 

“I’ll ask one last time boy. Where are the rest of the paladins of Voltron?”

Lance closes his eyes and resigns himself to the world of pain he knows he’s two seconds away from being submerged in. Sweat rolls down his face, tinged red from the dried blood there.

His eyes flash open to boldly glare back in defiance at the ruler of the galaxies.

“Fuck you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so Just to let you guys know I'm the kind of nerd that has to listen to music to get into my writing and I am currently in the middle of making my own Voltron fanfic writing playlist?! Oh my gosh I'm such a weak human being.
> 
> Anyway Ill probably post the list later on as a seperate peice for anyone who's curious about where my character inspiration comes from.
> 
> Here's a sneak peak at my Kuro part of the mix.
> 
>  
> 
> X Gon’ Give it to ya by DMX  
> Remember the Name by Fort Minor  
> Till I collapse by Emenim  
> Out of mind By B.O.B  
> Go Hard or go Home by Whiz Khalifa  
> Heathens by Twenty One Pilots  
> Control by Halsey  
> Sucker For Pain by Lil Wayne/Imagine Dragons/Whiz Khalifa/Ty Dolla $ign/X Ambassor  
> Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes 
> 
> ...There are more. Beware.


	6. Humans Are Scary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jump upon the choo choo train of death.. HOOT HOOOOT!
> 
> Also I'd say that 6 chapters in one week of uploading is pretty darn good considering i'm writing this all on the fly.

He hadn’t really MEANT to disobey. Honestly he hadn’t!

“One.” He says calmly after the whip comes down to split his flesh open.

But was it worth it? Was his little taste of the paladin boy really worth thirty lashes of a sizzling hot metal whip across his shoulders, lower back and hips?

“Two.” Still calm.

Yes. Without a doubt. Kuro would never forget it for the rest of his miserable life.

“Three.”

He would never forget the feeling of soft flesh under his skin covered digits.

“Four.” He takes in a deep breath and holds it.

Kuro would never forget the faint but intoxicating whiff of arousal and fear that seeped off of him as he’d dropped to his knees before him or the smell of his shampooed hair as he’d leaned in to whisper in his tiny little curved ear.

“Five." Exhale.

He’d never forget the increase in the boys heart rate or the tingly taste of his sweet sweet blood zinging out across his taste buds.

“Six.” There is an audible drop in his tone, voice lowering as the heat begins to radiate out across his back in waves.

But most of all Kuro would never forget the look on the young mans face.

“ACK! Seven!"

CRACK!

“EiGHT!”

He would never forget the pink hot flush beneath his palms or the deep glistening blue eyes wide with shock.

“Nine!” He huffs.

Kuro would never forget the feeling of the boys stuttered gasps washing out to brush warmth over his own mouth.

 

“Teeen.” He groans, not really sure if its from the pain or the memory.

The next twenty lashes lick across his skin in much the same way; with Kuro lost in thoughts of the blue paladin and floating in a haze of painful pleasure. A small twisted smirk dancing on and off his smug face.

At the end the bloody whip is tossed to the side by the Galra man, an arch of blood splatting across the floor and wall where it lands. He doesn’t turn to watch as the man walks away without a word. Kuro shifts from his kneeling position on the ground to sitting cross legged, hunched forward, trying to get his breathing back under control and his head clear.

Thirty lashes was a lot even for him to take. Zarkon must have been extremely angry with him this time. He could feel the hot red seeping down his back and into the hem of his pants from halfway through. Now at the end he can tell that they are completely soaked through in the back and he feels more than a little lightheaded at the loss of so much blood.

With a huge sigh he gathers his legs beneath him and wobbles up onto his feet, trying not to slip in his own mess. He needs a bath and new clothes. No medicines or salves for him this time. He knows the drill. Whippings were never to be healed. They were a sign of shame and to be worn like a badge of dishonor until they healed by themselves. The only way he would be seen by the druid doctors was if he came into some sort of infection or unless they were deemed life threatening by Haggar. It had been a long long time since Haggar had deemed any form of punishment life threatening for Kuro and he didn’t expect any change now.

Kuro left a thin trail of crimson behind him as he made his way to the baths. He stumbles in amidst the rest of the soldiers coming off of duty or just leaving arms practices, none of whom seem surprised by his state of being. 

He didn’t see any point in removing his pants and he was already shirtless so he unlaced his military grade combat boots and toed them off before growling out a short “If you don’t want to soak in my blood. get. out.” 

He sloshes down to his nose in the nearest pool of hot sudsy water. The red immediately beginning to eat up the cleanish water. There is a mad rush of cursing and splashing that soothes a large petty piece of his soul. Within seconds he has the whole thing to himself. No one wanted to reek of alien blood for the next day it would seem and they knew better than to argue with him. Easier just to comply and move on. Seriously less trouble for them that way.

He allows himself thirty minutes to just soak until his whole body feels numb from the heat, slowly shedding each article of remaining clothing until he’s butt naked. When he gets out of the bath the water runs bright pink against his pale white. He wraps a white towel low on his hips around his waist before looking around the room for any familiar faces. His eyes settle on a newish soldier who he knows to be soft spoken and quiet.

“You.” He says, twitching his fingers at the guy in a come hither gesture. 

The younger mans fur stands up a little in surprise as he is called out by the emperors pet but he scurries forward over the bench between them as soon as he’s recovered. He seems shy as he ducks his head down and away from the eyes of the smaller human man and Kuro is almost positive he’s just singled out the least capable person in the room for what he needs right now. He clasps his hand around the back of his neck, sighing again for what feels like the millionth time today.

“Hey, I’m not in the mood so if you could at least attempt to look like you aren’t useless that would be nice.”

“Yes, sir.” The guy snaps back up to look him in the eye, one ear twitching slightly in agitation at being called useless.

Kuro gives him a grim smile before patting his cheek and saying, “Follow me.”

He guides the man back to his room, his pile of filthy clothes bundled up under his galra arm and his boots, harness and belt dangling from the other hand. He can feel the guys eyes roaming over his tattered and still oozing back as they walk. He doesn’t say anything though, which is good. Its why Kuro picked him to be honest. He is too tired and too woozy to care about conversation at the moment and the lack of questions is a blessing.

When they get to his room he shuffles his things around so he can put his palm to the scanner and the door slides open with a slight whoosh of cold air. His room is large with minimal furniture, no decoration, a large bed dressed in dark purple and a good size port window on the far side across from the door. 

Kuro assumes that its much nicer than what the young soldier has but again the man says nothing, only hesitates at the entrance toeing the line between in and out.

“Come. In.” He grits gnashing his teeth together with a sharp snap. He can feel his pulse starting to throb in his head. 

The guy jumps forward as if yanked around the middle by an invisible force and Kuro bites off a sharp ‘What do you think I brought you here to do? Stand around in the doorway like an awkward fyeilward?’

Holding his tongue is hard and he distracts himself by dropping his belongings in a heap beside his dresser and fishing out a clean pair of boxers from the top drawer. Kuro drops his towel and leans a hand against the wall for support, trying not to stretch the tattered skin across his back any more than he has too as he carefully slides one foot in. He switches sides before he slowly drags the tight silky black material up his dripping thighs and into place a little lower than usual so as not to irritate the deep abrasions on his lower back.

When he turns around the younger galra man is blushing furiously, eyes glued to something on his ceiling. Kuro feels a little bit of pride knowing that even when he’s a complete mess he can still turn the heads of the pretty little galra boys.

A light chuckle leaves his lips as yanks his knife free from where it’s still strapped around his left boot and drags a chair to the middle of the room. The man immediately skips back, drawing a knife of his own and crouching in front of the door. He bares his teeth and Kuro has to roll his eyes before he flips his own blade around walking a couple steps closer to hold it out toward the other.

“Get over here stupid. What’s your name?”

The other man hesitates before his face relaxes into a mild confusion. He stands up a little bit cautiously before stepping forward to grab the offered knife.

“Aziz.”

“Well Aziz I need you to do me a great favor. Cut the hanging skin off my back.” Kuro swings a leg over the chair, resting his chin on the back of it and forcing his body to relax.

“W-What?!” The guy, Aziz, splutters seemingly at a loss for words. 

“I ca-wha- Sir? I don’t understand, exactly?” He finally settles on and Kuro doesn’t bother to lift his head already falling into a light dose. 

He yawns arms hanging limply by his sides.

“My backs all messed up right? There are pieces of skin hanging off and its uncomfortable and gross. Would you want parts of your skin hanging off of you?”

He doesn’t get an answer for a few moments and then, “I understand sir. I’ll be quick.”

He feels a large hot hand push down on the very top of his shoulder, weary of the slashes farther down and then the knife is there in a flash, slicing off a piece of flayed skin. Kuro grunts in disgust as the small piece of flesh hits the ground beside his chair with a wet smack.

“So how bad is it? They’ve got a different guy over there now and he’s a lot heavier in the hand than the last one.”

“It is...It is not...good.”

Kuro snorts at that leaning his head to the side so he can glance up over his shoulder. 

“Yeah well I knew that. What I mean is, is there like large sections of skin gone or anything incredibly deep? I have to look after it myself you know. And I need to be in the pits in,” He glances across the room to his ticker, “Twenty eight minutes.”

Aziz is quiet as he continues his nasty work.

“Oh goddess there’s no bone showing is there?” Kuro frets trying to twist to see over his shoulder and down his back. Aziz tightens his hold hissing a little to get Kuro to stop moving.

“No. No there is no bone, it is just....”

“Yeah?”

“It is just that I have never seen anyone walk away conscious from something like this. Should you not be laid up in bed drunk out of your mind right about now? And your just...walking around. Asking people you do not know to slice off more...”

“What, do you want me laid up and in bed?” Kuro teases light heartedly.

The other man doesn’t say anything for a few minutes. Kuro has laid his head back down and begun to drift again when there’s a low murmur from behind him.

“Humans are scary beings aren’t they?” Aziz doesn’t seem to realize that he’s said it out loud and Kuro ponders over the statement. 

He thinks of all of Takashi’s memories from his life before being captured by the galra. He thinks about his memories from after he had been captured and how much he had been willing to go through just to survive in the hopes of seeing his loved ones again someday. An image of wide blue eyes comes unbidden and he thinks of the fragile human boy covered in his own blood and kneeling before the ruler of the entire universe. All alone...

“Yeah.” Kuro replies softly. “They are.”

 

~~~

 

Lance isn’t sure when he passed out exactly but he’s pretty sure he didn’t last long. His pain tolerance had never been great to begin with. Add on his woozy head and the huge shock he had gotten from Shiro’s evil twin and...well…Yeah he definitely hadn’t lasted long at all.

He wakes up spitting clotted blood on the floor in front of his face. His head is pounding and he feels hot all over. His right eye is swollen and as he runs the tip of his tongue over his sticky mouth he can feel a deep cut in his upper lip that’s oozing copper. Sweat is running down into his eyes and they burn like hell.

“Ay dios mio.” He groans trying to roll over on his still restrained arms so he can get away from the grime he’s left on the metal floor beneath him. Before he can twist around though his whole torso convulses around what feels like white hot iron twisting itself into his side.

“HAUGH!” He hollers, tossing his head back and smacking it into the floor underneath him. 

“HOLLY SHIT!” He’s never felt pain like this before.

Lance is afraid to move and he trembles against the floor not caring so much about the blood and spittle his head rests in anymore.

He stays like this for a long time before a thought comes to the forefront of his foggy brain.

BLUE.

Oh no.

Where is she? Is she alright? Surely Zarkon would not have harmed her. Surely she is too valuable to damage. Well more than she already was.

Lance sends out tentative feelers, mind longing for the heavy comfort of his lion inside his head. But there is nothing. He can’t feel her.

He doesn’t have to wait much longer before droids storm the small dark room he’s caged within. They grab him under his arms yanking him up like he weighs nothing at all. Lance screams. The pain is intolerable, white hot and insistent. It feels as if someone’s hand has been shoved through his right side straight to his lung. The hand squeezes until Lance feels like it will pop. He can barely breathe. He tries desperately to squirm free of the tight hold on his upper arms but the metal fingers have no give and his actions are only bringing more pain so he stops, just hanging in their grasp as he fights and fails to bite back a heavy sob.

He is dragged through what seems like endless hallways until they are climbing a dark marble stairway. Higher and higher they go. Up, up and up until the stair levels off into a short but wide hall. Heavy dark purple curtains with roped fringes hang across the end of the passage and the glint of thick red doors can be seen behind the one side that is pulled back slightly. 

A galra guard stands outside and he steps under the hangings to rap against the door before opening it a crack. The noise is instantaneous; a deafening roar that seems to go on forever. Lance begins his pitiful struggle anew. Whatever is beyond those doors he wants absolutely no part in.

The guard retreats from the crack before pulling the heavy door open wide enough for the droids to easily carry him through. They toss Lance in front of what looks to be another throne. This one is much smaller in size and it has no steps but it is still regal in its silvers and rough dark grey stones. 

His eyes flash up to meet Zarkons pleased gaze. His side is on fire and he is dizzy from the pain and lack of oxygen but he still manages to glare back at the evil man above him.

The noise level is ridiculously loud out here on the...balcony, Lance realizes as his head whips around him to stare at the stands filled to the brim with cheering galra. He is very high up on a balcony with no railings of any kind to keep him from falling off should he venture too close to the edge and the thought is petrifying.

‘What is it with these aliens!’ He mentally shrieks, trying in vain to drag his broken body farther back from the edge.

Before Zarkon has a chance to open his mouth the stands around them erupt into impossibly greater heights and Lance looks down to the floor below as a giant lumbering creature struts out of an even larger gate on one side of the sand arena. The large rocky creature raises his clawed fist high in the air and screams calling for blood answer him.

All of a sudden Lance understands. These are the fighting pits. This is where Shiro earned all of his scars. This is where Shiro lost his right arm. This is probably the exact ring he fought for his life in...

And out of the other side of the ring walks Shiro himself.

‘No. Not Shiro. Just Shiro’s twin.’ Lance has to remind himself trying to beat the blind panic back down into his gut. ‘That is not him Lance. Shiro is safe. Shiro is far away with Keith and the others in the castle.’

Lance watches as ‘Not Shiro' swaggers forward toward the beast before him. He is completely bare from the waist up, pants slung far too low on the perfectly cut v of his hips. His back is a tapestry of reds and Lance almost winces in sympathy before he catches himself.

‘He is with the enemy you twat.’ Or... so he thinks. 

‘Why are they making one of their own fight in the arena? It doesn’t make any sense! He could be killed. He could die! Ohmygod this dude is about to die.’ Lances wide eyes dart back and forth between ‘Not Shiro’ and the hulk reincarnated.

'Are they forcing him to do this all because he LICKED my face?!'

Before the Shiro look alike can reach the monster in the middle of the stadium he turns towards them, flashing a large hounds grin as he raises his fist in the air. For his emperor or for the mass of fans he obviously has in the audience Lance doesn’t know, but all of a sudden Zarkon is standing at his side, fist raised high above them. He drops it booming out one simple command.

“BEGIN!”

The crowds erupt again and Lance can feel the vibration of their many voices through the marble floor he rests upon.

The two figures below start to run, coming together in a clash and it’s all over so quickly that Lance can’t help but think in awe that it was terribly anticlimactic.

And then, “What just happened? How-Wha...How did he do that?”

The giant beast crashes to floor and the chamber around him has gone ape shit.

‘Not Shiro’ winces slightly as he lands back on his feet having had to jump up on the massive creatures chest to tear his galra arm clean through the things jugular. Great rushes of life blood pulse forth from the gurgling body bellow and the man has to dance back before it sloshes over his black leather boots. He gives his gore covered arm a good couple of flicks to try and dislodge as much filth as possible.

A steady mantra of “CHAM-P-ION! CHAM-P-ION!” Goes up around the stands and every person is on his or her feet now. More than one leaning dangerously out over the pits just for a better look at the carnage.

Zarkon chuckles above him and it makes Lance jump. He had forgotten he was there.

“Amazing isn’t he?” Zarkons face is alight in a triumphant glow that has Lances stomach doing flips.

“His name is Kuro. He is the result of our successful cloning of the human Takashi Shirogane, now known as the black paladin of Voltron. He is our greatest weapon. And when your comrades come to rescue you it will be him who leaves their broken corpses on the ground.” Zarkon lowers his eyes from their fix on the man below in the sullied sand to take in Lances horrified expression. 

“Take a good look now blue paladin. You won’t have another chance like this one to stare into the face of a true warrior.” With that he twirls away, cloak furling behind him as he retakes his place on his throne, crossing his right leg over the other at the knee and resting his hands on the arm rests at his sides. The emperor has an entirely too pleased expression upon his face.

Lance lunges for the edge of the balcony, headless of the screaming protest coming from his side. He peers down at the man, Kuro, before their eyes meet. Kuro smiles big and cheesy, waving his blood soaked arm high above his head at Lance.

Shiro’s clone. A man specifically designed to be his executioner and the executioner of all the people Lance holds dear to his heart.

Lance thinks it’s ironic how two minutes ago he was thinking the only beast in the arena was the giant monster now lying dead in the stand. The real beast is hidden. He is disguised as the man that Lance loves. But now that he has seen him he knows one thing for certain.

‘I can never let that monster close to my family. He needs to die.’ A tightness that has nothing to do with his aching ribs settles over Lances chest as he resigns himself to his new greatest mission in his now numbered days.

‘I will kill this man, before he has the chance to destroy everything I love.’

Lance watches as said man laughs up at him, eyes squinted shut in his glee, chest puffed up with pride.

“Don’t worry little human. The games have just begun.” Zarkon rumbles behind him.

Lance doesn’t answer. He just keeps his eyes fixed upon Kuro as the other side of the ring opens once more, letting loose three men twice the size of the human below him.

...They don’t last a full minute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry I'm already working on Ch. 7


	7. Eyes Like Gold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some ACTUAL FLUFF in this chapter ohmygoodness who would have thought we would EVER get this far. LOL
> 
> I Actually had this ready late last night and I was chomping at the bit wanting to get it out here but I had already promised myself that I would wait at LEAST 24 hours before posting the next chapter sooo. 
> 
> Here you go.
> 
> Also incase you are new to my fic or you just haven't caught on yet I am a very fast paced and impatient writer and these updates are coming out back to back. SO dont forget to check back in every couple of days or to check your email for updates.
> 
> Love ya'll! Carry on now.

Pidge flicks her com off with a frustrated growl. She is sick and tired of hearing Hunk go on and on about what he should have and shouldn’t have done to avoid all of this.

“As if you had any control over this mess." Pidge grumbles to herself.

She’s grouchy okay? The team has been all go and no stop since about 6 a.m. when she walked in on a ship wide argument in the rec room. Apparently she was the last to arrive, with the exception of Lance, and as she glanced around at her angry friends while rubbing away the last of the sleepy sand from her eyes she had finally started to understand what exactly had happened. 

Lance had been outed on his little crush and well…no one seemed to be taking it very well.

The rest of the day had gone by in much the same state of chaos from Lance leaving the ship, to Keith starting a giant argument with Shiro in front of the entire team, to Allura stepping in and scolding all the paladins, to the distress call from Lance and the NEXT wave of chaos that brought with it and finally leading up to the last like eight hours of her life roaming the galaxies for any signs of blue while waiting on Coran and Allura to get some kind of reading on the lion. And the entire time had been full of nothing but Hunks wild angry rambling on this and that and what could be happening to Lance at this very moment while they were all out here doing absolutely nothing productive.

Pidge flicks her com back on.

“Screw this!” she snarls before whipping her lion around and blasting off in the direction of the castle.

“Pidge! Pidge where are you going?! We need to keep looking for Lance! Get BACK here dammit!” Hunk is genuinely angry now, frazzled nerves giving way to some of the underground turmoil within him.

“I AM looking for Lance, Hunk. My OWN way. It’s about time we know exactly where he’s at.”

Pidge will find Lance and then they will all go together to kick major ass and bring him home where the little trouble maker belongs.

 

~~~

 

Kuro’s everything hurt. There was literally no part of him that wasn’t burning. His lungs drag in gasp after gasp of thin coppery air as he sprawls on his knees in the blood soaked sand. His back is the worst of course. The salt from his sweat having quickly lit the entire thing ablaze and now after ten intense battles in the ring sand is stuck to every wicked slice. 

Goddess it hurts. But he cannot think about that now. He’s already showing too much weakness as it is. His head is swimming and he’s pretty sure his whole upper body is swaying dangerously.

He can’t even force a smile onto his face.

“It’s bad when you can’t manage even one smile.” He’s not sure who said it at first. Then, “Oh,” Gasp, gasp, swallow, “that’s me.”

The games are over but he still has to wait for Zarkons ending statement before he can crawl away to die in relative peace.

He can’t focus on the Emperors face, can’t hear his final words of ceremony at the ‘sacrifices’ strewn below.

The only way he can tell that it’s finally over is when an ice cold hand is placed on his shoulder. Kuro spins on his knees so fast that sand sprays out around him. His knife is sunk to the hilt in the soft belly of the druid behind him and the thing shrieks as it topples over his shoulder to the ground. It bucks and writhes and Kuro groans at his own mistake.

Sure enough when he looks to the exit Haggar is glaring back at him arms shaking at her sides, snarl plastered over her ugly face.

She storms forward, murderous intent clear as day with every step. Kuro stands as best he can, dizzily sinking back to his knees a few times before he gets a hold of himself.

“I was told to have you escorted to the baths and then your room so you didn’t fall down dead in the hallways but apparently you have enough energy to take care of yourself after all.” the witch spits haltingly.

“Ah...” Is all he can really manage in answering. 

He stumbles past her, legs shaking like jello. It’s kind of embarrassing. Ten rounds in the arena should have been a cake walk for him. But with the added blood loss...well. He was lucky he had come out as unscathed as he did. Only earning one new scar across his lower belly where an opponent had tried to gut him while he was distracted.

Kuro manages to stumble his way to the baths with Haggar in tow just incase he did drown by accident. The witch has seen him naked so many times in experiments before that its nothing for him to strip bare before her. 

He doesn’t bother to check the temperature of the water, just steps right over the edge and sinks. The bath is frigid but somehow it feels amazing to his fiery skin and thoroughly abused body. He lays across the bottom of the small pool for a couple ticks before resurfacing and gratefully reaching for the bottle of medical soap Haggar thrusts out in his general direction. It’s the cooling kind; he can tell by the blue bottle. 

He slathers everything but his back down with the thick slimy stuff and leaves it to sit for a while, just letting it soothe his torn muscles. A couple minutes later another bottle is set down on the floor beside his head. He looks over only too wince.

Antiseptic.

He doesn’t want to. He’d rather just risk the infection at this point. But with one withering glance up at the witch he can tell he’s not getting around it. Doctors orders so to speak.

He dunks back under to scrub the thick icy sludge from his hair and body before standing in the waist deep water and crawling over the edge out of the bath. He doesn’t grab his towel yet instead reaching to the side for the brown glass bottle of liquid. He quickly unscrews its lid before tossing the contents over his shoulder to run down his pulpy mess of a back.

Kuro can’t bite back the scream that rushes up from his lungs and it echoes back to him off the wet stone as if to mock his human feebleness. The liquid is pure acid. Eating away all the foreign bacteria that’s snuck into his exposed flesh and muscle.

“HAAH!” He pants chucking the now empty bottle to shatter against the side wall of the room. He falls to his hands tears welling in his eyes.

“Stand up.” Haggar snarls, exasperatedly snapping her foot forward to toe into the cut in his belly with the sharp point of her boot.

Kuro lashes out with his clawed hand, fangs bared and dripping saliva from the pain. His yellow eyes bore into hers and the tension lays heavy in the room.

“I think I can manage to make it back myself.” Kuro says, not bothering to hide his razor sharp canines.

Haggar shrugs and whirls to stalk out of the baths. When he’s sure she’s gone for good he lets himself sink flush to the wet floor beneath him.

Kuro focuses on breathing for a while, he’s not sure how long exactly. Then he’s dragging his half dead carcass off the pink stained ground to wrap his towel around his waist. He doesn’t remember how he made it back to his room but the next thing he knows he’s flopping down on his soft nest of bedding, completely naked and soaking wet.

It doesn’t take him ten seconds to be entirely lost to the world around him.

 

~~~

 

Lance wakes up the next morning to an icy bucket of water being poured over his head. He starts to splutter, weakly rolling his head away from the glacial stream but a rough hand grabs his jaw forcing his mouth open and holding him directly beneath the falling water.

He begins to choke. Grabs the attackers wrist with both hands, body protesting in weak little bucks as he digs his heels in and slips and slides in the liquid.

The rest of his day doesn’t get much better. Lance lives through hell, forced to stay on the brink of black out, screaming his throat raw, blood bubbling up from his punctured lung to dribble down his chin.

But he won’t talk. He just sobs and begs when Zarkon comes to question him throughout the day. The emperor is cruelly gentle with him each time he appears. He holds Lances head in the palm of his massive hand thumb stroking away the tears that spill down his cheeks. He speaks quietly; crooning promises of ending his pain if he would only tell him where the rest of the paladins are hidden.

Lance refuses every time.

The torture goes on for what feels like an eternity and by the time his tormentor leaves for the night Lance is babbling incoherently, naked body covered in a mix of black and blue and red.  
He cries himself to sleep. Rocking back and forth on the freezing metal floor of his prison.

 

~~~

When Kuro wakes from his deep dreamless sleep he feels like death warmed over. Fully charged though. He must have slept for a long LONG time. His eyes flick up to the ticker on his wall as he pulls his forearm up to wipe away the drool on his chin. It’s late into the night and he knows that besides the androids no one will be up wandering the hallways.

He quickly crawls from his nest of blankets to stumble over to his dresser, pulling on a clean pair of black boxers, light weight black formfitting mesh pants that sit low on his hips, and a very loose very soft elkenwald wool sweatshirt that won’t feel to abrasive against the sensitive scabbing flesh of his back. He pulls on his combat boots lacing them up his calves tightly before strapping his knife into place. Standing he grabs his belt and slips it through the loops at his waist before glancing over at his harness hanging on the wall. It would hurt like a bitch to wear right now so he turns away, deciding against it.

Kuro peeks his head out his door looking both ways down the black empty hall before jogging off in the direction of the prisoner cells. He jogs right past the robotic sentries having black mailed one of the technicians into reprogramming them to ignore his presence ages ago. It takes him about twenty minutes to safely navigate his way around the ship and to the doors of the prison section without being caught and questioned by any nightshift guards. 

Once there he pops a panel loose in the side wall pulling out a well hidden 3-D facial print of this sectors Commander in Chief. He lets the scanner run down the length of it before an accepting chirp tinkles out in the hallway around him and the scanner lights green. Kuro stashes the print away in its hiding spot before jogging through the doors and down the hallway full of alien hostages. It doesn’t take him long to find the one he’s there for.

The human boy is in the last cell on hall one. The heavy door is password protected for extra measures and Kuro types in the correct code almost as an after thought. Snooping in his boredom really did come in handy sometimes. The cells door slides up just long enough for him to slip in and he quickly makes his way to the boys side.

The cell is almost pitch black but Kuro’s galra enhanced vision cuts through the gloom easily. The paladin is in rough shape. His breathing slow and stuttering. He can hear the wet rattle of fluid in his chest and Kuro knows it must be blood. He gently runs his galra hand down the boys side, scanning for the broken ribs he suspects to be there. He finds two; one cracked and one completely splintered. There must be a piece stuck into his lung. As he goes through a full body check he concedes that the ribs and lung are the worst of the damage. What the hell is Zarkon doing? The boy is way too valuable a prisoner to let him choke to death in his own blood in the middle of the night. It doesn’t make any sense.

He could puncture a hole in the boys side and into his lung to let the liquid drain but he’d rather not if he doesn’t absolutely have to. The small procedure would be extremely painful and could come with a lot of complications. Ideally he would need some kind of tubing to let it drain OUT and not into a different part of the boys body.

Kuro lays his pointed ear to the boys naked chest, trying to get a better estimate as to how much blood was trapped inside. If too much accumulated he would have to try the messy operation before the lung collapsed in on itself. If that happened Kuro wouldn’t be able to help him at all. A couple rattling inhales and gurgling exhales later he decides that he really has no clue.

The blue paladin is covered in cuts, bruises and swollen lumps but it could have been a lot worse. Kuro is more than a little impressed with his ability to hold out through the torture. He must not have given his comrades away because he’s still alive and Zarkon would have done him in the moment he had what he wanted from the young man.

The boys whole body quakes with violent shudders and Kuro tugs his sweatshirt over his head before carefully picking the boy up enough to pull it on over his freezing body. He doesn’t bother with trying to force his long lanky arms through the sleeves but that’s fine. The piece of clothing practically swallows up the boys much smaller frame, coming down to just past mid-thigh. Kuro gingerly lifts him up, cradling him against his chest and wrapping his legs around the boys own to try and warm them up as well, even if just a little bit.

There is a tiny whimper from the boy whose head he now has tucked neatly beneath his chin.

“Shhhhh now. I’m not going to let you die blue boy.” Kuro murmurs. 

He has never done anything like this before. Never felt this kind of protective urge before. Just in faded memories. He vaguely recalls Takashi’s mother comforting him in this way when he had been sick as a child and it seems to be the right thing to do because the boy quiets down again nudging his nose up under Kuro’s chin.

He feels his eyes fall shut a little with warm affection, a small smile working itself onto his face.

‘This is nice.’ He thinks absently as a satisfied purring starts to rumble up from somewhere deep inside his chest. He had always craved the affection and warmth of another human being and for the first time in his life he finally has the real thing. Right here in his arms.

Kuro knows that it cannot last though. He doubts that the human will survive through another day at the hands of Zarkons jailers. If he wants him to live he’s going to have to do something.

‘Something crazy....’

He stays like this for a long time lost in his scheming, trying to figure out a way to safely whisk the boy off of and far away from the galra ship when a whisper from the boy makes him jump to attention, purring cutting off instantly. He hadn’t noticed him wake and now the boy looks up at him groggily, pain etched into every crease in his face.

“Shiro...” Tears well in his big blue eyes and something builds up inside of Kuro that he doesn’t understand. Something he’s never felt before.

He doesn’t want to let this man down and he sets his face into a blank mask before softly whispering back.

“No.”

The boy doesn’t say anything for a moment. Kuro can feel his weak body trying to tense up and the rattling in his breathing rises in pitch.

“Kuro.” He rasps.

“Yes. What’s your name beautiful?” He smiles gently, seeing the mistrust in the others eyes.

Again the boy remains silent.

“You know if I was going to hurt you I wouldn’t be cuddling the life back into you right now.” Kuro tacks on in hopes of earning at least a little trust from the other human.

The boy says nothing and Kuro sighs out through his nose before pulling him back in, resting his chin on the others head once more and continuing his purring from earlier.

The action seems to pacify the smaller boy and eventual he relaxes enough to finally try to speak.

“I shhhhooden tell you mmm’name.” He slurs. This scares Kuro a little and he starts wondering about the boys head injury.

He waits to see if the boy will continue and when he doesn’t Kuro asks quietly.

“Why is that?”

A pause where Kuro focuses on the sound of the others heart beat past the rattling breathes. Is it irregular? He doesn’t think so.

“Mmmm s’posda kill yuu.” 

This takes him back a little. I mean it’s not as if he’s not used to people having it out for his head but he didn’t think he’d done anything to the human boy worthy of THAT level of hostility. Kuro thinks back to how he licked the boys cheek and wonders if maybe he just has a thing about drool.

“Zrrkan sasss yull kill’em.” The boy slur whispers, a more prominent shiver running up the length of his spine.

‘What? Kill who? The gladiators? Well yeah, that is literally my entire purpose for being.’ Kuro feels his brow pinch together lips pursing in frustration. 

Maybe the softness did run through the entire race after all. That’s...troubling for lack of a better word. Is he being rejected by the very first being of his own kind he has ever met because of his killing in the arena? Because he transforms his body, mind and soul into a wild beast when necessary? That’s not exactly fair seeing as he wouldn’t even be here if he hadn’t changed himself into the man that he is now. What did this boy think survival meant exactly?

Kuro doesn’t say anything, afraid that if he opens his mouth the other will hear the frustration in his voice. He doesn’t have to though because within a couple ticks the boy is talking once more.

“I know why yur hur. Mmm not tellen yuu. Thur all I havvv.” Okay now Kuro really is confused. He thinks about what it could mean but ends up drawing a blank and the blue paladin apparently doesn’t feel the need to clarify.

“Who?” He asks lifting his chin off the smaller mans head so he can look down at his face. The boy tilts his head back eyes widening as Kuro catches and holds his gaze.

“Yurr eyes. Thur so purty. Looks ly gold.” He slurs before wincing.

“Does your head hurt bad? Can you show me?” Kuro asks concerned.

The boy whimpers raising a shaky hand to press against the back of his head. Kuro shifts him in his lap so that he can gently run his human hand over the spot. The hair here is dried stiff and under it is extremely hot. Kuro leans the boy back again, galra hand coming up to brush the bangs from his forehead so he can take the boys temperature.

What is too high for humans anyway? And they probably don’t measure things like heat in the same way that the galra do either. He doesn’t need to know much to know that the young man is burning up with fever though.

The boy starts coughing harshly, body convulsing in Kuro’s arms. He cries out in pain as the motion jars his broken ribs and another fit takes him, this time splashing blood up into his cupped palms. There is a moment of confusion where he just stares into his own hands at the dark shiny fluid and then real fear seems to take hold in his deep blue eyes.

He lowers them to his lap before tilting his head back to rest against Kuro’s shoulder.

“Mmm I dyin?”

Panic starts to drag its harsh claws through Kuro’s intestines and he stands, easily lifting the boy with one arm wrapped around his shoulders and the other under his knees. He holds him close as he opens the cell door and starts to jog down the prison blocks hallway to the main entrance.

“Not while I'm around you're not.” Kuro growls pausing before the main door long enough to awkwardly rest the boy on his knee while he bends to pull his blade free from its place in his boot.

“...Lance.”

Kuro’s yellow eyes widen, eyebrows raising as he looks down at the boy he’s repositioning in his arms.

“Mmm namess Lance.” He repeats. Holding Kuro’s gaze in the dim lighting of the hall. 

He looks so vulnerable then, swathed in nothing but Kuros large black sweatshirt, resting in his arms like a small child. Again the boys gaze seems to stir something up inside him and he wants nothing more than to curl his whole body around him and shield him from the rest of the universe.

“Lance...” Kuro tests the feel of it. Rolling it off his tongue so naturally. 

He loves it instantly.

Kuro steps forward to open the door out of the prison section, bracing himself for the upcoming hellstorm he’s going to have to face to get this paladin back in the cockpit of his lion.

 

“I’m going to get you home, Lance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOO BOI! Things are getting good!
> 
> Just incase anyone had any doubt in their mind:
> 
> If there is any person in the whole universe who's a bigger flirt than Lance himself it's Kuro.


	8. Mad as a March Hare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ch. 8 for the eighth day of the month?
> 
> SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO Sally3015: What was that about mission impossible style? *Wink wink, finger guns*
> 
> Song suggestion: Hurt by Johnny Cash a Shiro song
> 
> You can NOT convince me that the Gaurdians of the galaxy Awesome mixtape vol 1 sountrack is not Shiros mixtape.... This was what he listened to back on Earth. AHHH BUP BUP BUP no argueing! Just accept it.

Kuro was desperate. It hadn’t taken fifteen minutes before he’d screwed up royally by smashing right into a whole squadron of soldiers switching shifts and he had had to turn tail and book it. He didn’t want to have to fight if it could be avoided. Didn’t want to have to put the human boy in any more danger than was necessary.

‘Lance.’ he corrects himself.

His name was Lance and he had trusted him with knowing it even if it was just a small thing.

Kuro hadn’t been prepared for the magnetic draw that humans apparently felt for each other. Hadn’t been aware that meeting someone of the same species would have him willing to lay down his whole life if it meant protecting them. Seriously though, shouldn’t Takashi’s memories have come with a warning of some kind about stuff like this? He doesn’t know if he remembers the other man ever feeling this way when he was surrounded by fellow humans back on Earth.

But it was quickly becoming hard to focus on the past and the mess that where his emotions for the passed out human in his arms. His ears flick up a little at the sound of at least ten pairs of boots pounding down the hall in front of them. Kuro dodges down a different hallway, sprinting as fast and quiet as he can with Lance in his arms.

The fact of the matter was that they were there. These impulses and needs. His need to protect; to cherish. He had no idea that humans would be this precious, this special...this beautiful.

So screw it. So what if he didn’t know him? So what if Lance didn’t trust him? He would earn it. He would fight for it.

He would fight for him.

Lance was heavy and Kuro’s heart was beating like a drum in his sweaty chest. Lucky for him he had the stamina of a god. He knew he could keep going like this for hours. The problem was he didn’t need hours, he needed ten minutes. Ten minutes for the security forces to clear out long enough for him to take down the barrier around the entire fleet of war ships. If he couldn’t find some way to knock that thing out it wouldn’t matter if he got the paladin back to his lion or not. Kuro just hoped that he could pull this off.

Its taking him way too long to get where he needs to be, having to backpedal and take longer paths while avoiding the patrols on high alert. Eventually Kuro decides that he’s not getting anywhere with Lance to carry about. It’s too dangerous to engage the galra with him around. One stray blast and the paladin would be dead. 

Kuro is running out of ideas and just about ready to stash the boy away somewhere to retrieve later when he slides around another corner. He’s looking over his shoulder at the group he just barely managed to slip past when he hears an audible gasp and his eyes widen to saucers as the hair on the back of his neck stands up in alarm. He whips his head forward to be met with wait- what? Who is that?

The masked soldier has his hand clasped tightly over the mouth and nose of the galra guard standing between them. There is a brief struggle and the middle man finally goes down in a heap on the floor. Then the anonymous figure whips the mesh hood from his head and Kuro’s eyes grow impossibly wider mouth turning down in a tiny O shape.

Aziz looks just as surprised as Kuro and maybe a little relieved as well.

“Kuro!” He whispers urgently, “I’ve been chasing you around the whole damn ship!”

Kuro whips back around to dash away throwing a flustered, “Yeah well everyone is!” back at him. The other man is faster and he grabs Kuro’s shoulder trying to jerk him back into the dark hallway.

‘Damn. Why did it have to be him?’ Kuro thinks in agitation, he sorta liked this kid and now he is backed into a corner. He’s going to have to kill him.

Kuro drops Lance trying to spin on the man behind him but said man lunges forward with a wild noise of protest reaching around his middle to catch the human before he tumbles to the ground.

“What is wrong with you you crazy head?!” Aziz whisper hisses awkwardly trying to juggle the rapidly slipping paladin back up into some sort of hold while leaning heavily against Kuro’s shoulder.

Kuro grabs Lance up again curving his shoulders around him and shoving the larger man off.

“What’s wrong with me?! What’s wrong with you, idiot?”

“I’m TRYING to help!” Aziz seethes baring his fangs, hands flying up to tug at his fluffy purple ears.

Kuro’s jaw drops open eyebrows coming down in a look of annoyed disbelief. He snorts.

“I’m serious Kuro! If you would just calm your psycho ass down without punching a hole through me I can.get.you.off.this.SHIP.” His gaze is hard and after a few ticks of tense silence he tacks on, “I can take down the barrier.”

Kuro still doesn’t believe a word coming out of his mouth and when the galra goes to take a step forward he hisses, ears dropping back and every tooth in his mouth visible as he starts swatting a foot out between them to discourage the big guy from getting any closer.

“Nuh-uh, wait! Wait a tick you little brat. Why would you want to help me? If they find us we are dead-”

“UGH! Kuro-” He holds his hands out in front of him imploringly, gaping like a fish as if not knowing what to say.

“There is no time for this. I have my reasons. Do you want help or not?” Aziz doesn’t wait for a reply, just pulling his mask back over his head before turning on his heel and taking off down the hall behind him, hurtling over the still prone form of the soldier he’d knocked out earlier.

Kuro stares at the snoring galra gaurd facedown on the floor for a moment before his feet seem to have made up their own mind. He’s off after the retreating back of Aziz, praying to all the gods and goddesses of the stars that his decision doesn’t get him killed, or worse yet, get Lance killed.

 

~~~

 

Shiro couldn’t stop pacing. This was all his fault. No one on the team would look him straight in the eye and Keith was beyond pissed. He had lost Allura’s respect and even if Hunk kept telling him it wasn’t his fault, the tiny reassuring smile on his face never came close to reaching his eyes.

‘And Lance?’ Shiro’s pacing slows to a stop and he turns to stare out a large window into the dark of space, hands clasped tightly behind his back.

‘Lance could be...’His eyes fall to the floor and he huffs out a huge breath of air he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

‘No Shiro, you can’t think like that! Lance is alive, he’s fighting, he’s...he’s just too stubborn to ...die.’ Just thinking the word makes his heart squeeze painfully.

“UuuuUUgh!” He plops down on his butt right where he’s standing, bending forward and rigorously scrubbing his hands through his longer hair.

“Shiro.” 

Keiths voice makes Shiro’s heart stop. He looks to the door, a flush crawling over his cheeks at being caught acting like a child. Keiths expression is unreadable as he stares into Shiros face. He’s looking for something and his gaze becomes hard when he doesn’t seem to find it, posture almost rigid as he pushes away from the doorframe he’d been leaning against.

Keith strides forward, wide gate quickly eating up the space between them as he bares down on his boyfriend. Shiro flinches some when Keith falls into his lap, hands slapping down on his cheeks, roughly pulling him into a heated one sided kiss that has Shiro blowing steam out his ears and his stomach knotting in bewilderment at the youngers actions.

Keith kisses like he’s furious, like he’s in pain almost and Shiro just doesn’t understand. He tries to kiss back but the other man growls snapping his teeth into the kiss and Shiro’s eyes fly open wide when Keith snags his lower lip, biting into it hard enough to rip it open.

“Mmmph!” Shiro gently pushes him away, a little shaky and more than a little confused. 

Keith looks as if he’s been slapped. And Shiro he just doesn’t know what’s happening. Can’t figure out the weird mix of emotions washing over his boyfriends face.

“Keith?” That seems to snap him out of whatever turmoil’s reeking havoc inside him and he lurches back to his feet, forcing Shiro to quickly lean back on his hands to get out of the way. 

He looks straight up, eyes wide as Keith completely shuts him out, expression vacant. He storms from the room leaving Shiro behind sprawled over the floor alone and lost in self-doubt.

‘What just happened?’ Shiro can’t explain the ache in his chest, but a small voice whispers to him that he’s just messed up terribly. He kind of feels like he just failed a test. He kind of feels like...he just lost a part of Keith.

 

~~~

 

‘Follow Aziz, yeah right what a perfect plan.’ Kuro thinks, utterly disgusted with himself and his apparent lack of brain cells. 

They are pinned down in the security room with about two squadrons worth of guards firing blast after blast in the general direction of the large console they’re ducking behind. Kuro can feel the sweat running down his temples and he swallows, trying to coax a little moisture over his rough cats tongue.

Aziz to his credit DID bring down the barrier. He had had a chip hidden under one of his long claws and had uploaded some sort of virus thing into the ships defensive systems. Problem being that it had almost instantly led to sirens in their section of said ship and more and more soldiers where coming to investigate the call. 

Aziz was trying desperately to pick off as many as he can with his own blaster but it wasn’t helping much in the long run. Kuro snarls, beyond frustrated at this point. All that energy he’d spent trying to stealthily sneak about; waisted! The only way they’re getting out is by bulldozing straight through.

Kuro scoots closer to Aziz grabbing his shoulder and yanking him farther behind their safety island.

“Hold him and for the love of all the gods do NOT let him die or I’ll rip your heart out and EAT.IT.” He grinds out as he carefully maneuvers Lances still slack form into the flabbergasted galrans open arms.

“Wait! Kuro, where are you going? You won’t be able to reach them before they shoot you down! Are you mad?!” He tries to grab for the others wrist and has to slap his hand down to the floor before toppling over with the extra weight in his arms.

“As a march hare!” Kuro hoots wiggling his eyebrows at the distressed man, a large foxes grin plastered across his face. He turns to the console running his palms over the bolts in the metal before plunging his glowing metal hand clean through a crease and up in an arch. He roughly carves out a makeshift shield before slamming his splayed purple fingers straight into the middle of it and yanking it free. The thick metal sticks to his hand as he curls his fingers into as much of a fist as he can make with the metal between them. It will have to do. He only needs a few seconds anyway.

With that settled he hurtles up and over the large obstacle, falling to one knee before raising the slab and lunging for the nearest guard. He sends him sprawling passed out cold with a broken nose as he slams his shield up into the giants face. 

The next man squawks and drops his gun before turning tail and running when he sees who exactly they had pinned down in the room. Kuro jumps after him yanking him back by the collar of his uniform before wrapping his free hand around the guys throat and crushing his windpipe. He can’t have any getting away to find more help.

After that the rest seem to recover from their initial state of shock. They raise their own weapons again opening fire and Kuro slings the heavy shield off his hand to slam into the closest row of them. The force bowling them over and pining them down for the moment. Kuro uses the metal surface as a spring board to flip up and over onto another guards shoulders. 

He wraps his thighs tight around the mans neck crossing his feet at the ankle to lock on. The galran next to them screeches in surprise and Kuro arches his back throwing all his body weight into it, tipping them over. He slams his hands down on the floor, using their combined momentum to throw the seven foot soldier into the one beside them. The others are skittering backwards, trying to put enough distance between them and him so they can shoot safely.

Kuro’s laughing now, completely blissed out on the smell of their fear and blood. He giggles, lunging out to snag a retreating mans ankle and jerking it toward him making the guard crash to the floor, smacking the back of his head with a meaty WHUMP. He doesn’t get back up.

Kuro pulls his knife and activates his weaponized arm hopping up into a crouch before rolling away from the blasts the others are finally able to fire out. A stray beam hits one of the downed men from his shield and a pained groan can be heard as the other two claw there way up to their feet. Right behind Kuro. 

He spins slashing out at the closest ones achilles tendon and slicing clean through. There is a jarring scream and he topples over, unable to support his own weight any longer. He continues to cry out and the noise is grating on Kuro’s sensitive ears. He flips backwards out of the way of more blasts and they slam into the screaming mans chest instead, effectively silencing him for good.

Kuro is lost in his element as he snaps necks, sinks his hand wrist deep into hot squishy bellies, bites through soft jugulars and slices through guard after guard. Until…he looks around and realizes there aren’t any more left. 

Pity. He really had been having fun.

His eyes are wide with the hot pulse of adrenaline coursing through his blood, mouth hanging agape in a manic red smile, tongue lolling and chest heaving as he pants. Completely drunk on the stench of death.

There is a shifting noise behind him and he drops, whirling around to strike; quick as a snake. But then he stops, claws raised and dripping crimson to the floor below. He blinks face falling some as he takes in the horrified gaze of Aziz backing away, adams apple bobbing and ears laid flat on his head. He is cautious as he slowly places one boot behind the other in retreat, clasping Lances much smaller body close to his chest and slumping forward some as if to block anything from getting to him.

No... as if to block Kuro from getting to him. 

But there is no place to go. He is quickly running out of ground. When he reaches the edge of the drop off he glances back over his shoulder at the dark oblivion below.

“Don’t...” Kuro says, worry jarring him into action as he rises to his feet. 

He reaches out with his bloody hands. ‘Aziz wouldn’t really jump would he? Kuro wouldn’t hurt them. He has to know that! He was just...he had just...’

He gulps thickly, fighting to keep his breathing under control as he takes a step forward.

Aziz whips his head back around to face him, panic seizing over his features as he snaps his shaking gun up to point at Kuros chest. Kuro retreats some eyes wide, ears back, before sinking down to the floor in the middle of all the carnage he had wrought, hands help up above his head in a show of submission.

“Aziz...I’m not going to hurt you. I won’t, I swear. You are safe. Just...be careful, please. Lance...” Kuros eyes dart down to the human in the galrans quivering arms and he follows his gaze to stare down at the human boy he’s clutching.

Far off in the distance Kuro can hear the pounding of many boots and he looks over his shoulder trying to gage how close they are. Sweat springs up on his brow and he turns back to look at the other man.

“Aziz, please! There isn’t much time. We can’t be here when more arrive. We have to go, NOW.”

The galra man seems to be at war with himself as his eyes dart from the door to Kuro to the human before repeating their course over and over.

“AZIZ!” Kuro calls out pleadingly. Eyes doing the one thing he’s never done before in his life: Begging. Begging the man to trust him. Begging him to hand over Lance. Begging for so many things.

The soldier meets Kuro’s eyes, taking it all in before hesitantly lowering his gun. He edges forward some, pauses, and then takes a few hurried steps to lay Lance about ten feet in front of Kuro. He skitters back like Kuro is a wild animal that could spring at any moment and then makes a wide ark around the kneeling blood drenched clone. He never takes his eyes off of him as he scurries backwards down the walkway and when his feet hit the threshold he turns and bolts away.

“Dammit!” Kuro seethes, smashing his fists into the bloody floor out of sheer frustration. Wave after wave of self-loathing washing through him.

There is a pitiful pained whimper and Kuro comes back to the situation with a jolt. He looks up to see Lance reaching out to him, eyes glassy with the agony he must be in.

“Shiro.” He sobs brokenly, tears rushing down his face.

Kuro doesn’t have the heart to correct him as he scurries forward, boots slipping in the mess beneath him. He carefully lifts the boy into his arms tucking his head into the crease of his neck as he croons comforting words into the dying boys wavy brown hair. Because that’s what’s happening, he knows. He can feel it instinctually. Lance is dying. And Kuro is running out of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I didn't get as far in this chapter as I originally wanted too but it was getting soo long!
> 
> I'll probably have the next chapter up sometime today as an apology for this massive cliffhangar. 
> 
> Please forgive me!
> 
> Let me clarify real quick that Shiro is my favorite Voltron character and I really do love him. Poor Shiro. :'{
> 
>  Also, why is it that everytime I post all of my mistakes start to mockingly jump off the page at me? Little boogers.


	9. Curiosity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Sometime after posting ch. 8 ~
> 
> Cell rings
> 
> Me:HeeeellOoo?
> 
> Mom:He hun! You excited for Sunday? Do you have everything ready?
> 
> Me: ......
> 
> Mom: For the love of- Patience! Please tell me that you didn't forget about your grandfathers wedding in two days.
> 
> Me sqeakily: You mean next weekend right?
> 
> OOPS.
> 
> Aaaanyway this is a monsterous ch. at 6,138 words and I am really not sorry in the least bit.

Kuro is running as fast as he can, ears straining to hear anything over the sound of his own ragged breath and the soft tup tup of his heavy leather boots. 

Bloody sweat runs into his eyes. He can’t wipe it away without jarring Lances wrecked body more than he already is so he’s forced to just leave it. Instead trying to blink furiously through the stinging haze.

He is SO close to the hangar he knows they’ve stored the blue lion in. He just has to make it a little bit further, has to push a little bit harder. He turns the corner only to come up short at the sight of Haggar blocking the entrance.

‘What’s that really bad human cuss word again?’

“Kuro.” She mewls, vicious smile carving its way across her nasty pointed face.

“I thought I might find you here. What’s that you’ve got there, hmm?”

Kuro squeezes Lance tighter white hot panic bubbling in his gut. There is a weak garbled moan of protest from the human and he relaxes his hold some, never taking his eyes from the witch in his path.

“Nothing to say for yourself, Kuro? My what a naughty boy you are. Just wait until I drag you before emperor Zarkon, pet. Something tells me he won’t be as forgiving towards you this time. I’ve been warning him about you for almost two years now. And look here! The irrefutable proof at last.” The evil witch cackles and the sound nearly stops his heart with fright.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation. He is a pretty thing isn’t he? And what’s this? He’s dying. I can SMELL.it.” Her teeth clack on the last halting words. Kuro shakes his head. A tiny protest. His knees feel weak.

“Come now Kuro dear, hand him over. He won’t last long either way. At least this way it will end the pitiful creatures suffering. Be a good boy and obey your maker.” Kuro slowly bares his fangs as she continues on, he drops lower in a defensive crouch lips drawn back to show off gums and all. He snaps his teeth with a hiss.

“Tut, Tut. That is too bad.”

Kuro doesn’t see her vanish but in a flash he catches her hand before it can slash down across Lances exposed throat. He yowls, dropping to the floor above the human boy trying to cover as much of his body as he can with his own. He pulls his bloody knife again grip backwards on the handle so he can block her and still have the blade pointed outwards.

Kuro knows this is going to be a losing battle. He knows what Haggar is capable of; has seen it too many times first hand to keep any weak notioned hope for survival at this point. But still something sings in his blood to fight. Fight to his very last breathe to protect the fragile human beneath him, no matter how hopeless, no matter how bleak.

Haggar is gone again with a giddy cackle and the next second Kuros naked back is ripped open from shoulder to hip. The brand new scabbing being torn away to expose the bloody barely healed flesh beneath.

“HAUGH!” Kuro falls forward desperately trying not to crush the human underneath him.

He looks down into Lances paling face, feels his barely there gurgling breath wash across his own face and blinks in surprise at the tears dripping down onto the beautiful boys cheeks. Kuro doesn’t cry. Can’t remember the last time he has cried. But here, right before death he cannot fight them back. 

He’s failed Lance. Failed the only person in the whole universe he’s ever wanted. Failed the only other human he has ever met in his pitifully short life.

Before he can pull in another breath he’s lying flat on his back, Haggars claws breaking through the skin of his neck. She leans over him, victory written in every line of her body as he thrashes wildly, ripping into the back of her hand, feet coming up to kick at her stomach. She pins them down easily and her hand squeezes tighter. 

Kuro bucks teeth gnashing, spittle flying, trying with all his might to throw her off of him. His vision is starting to spot black and there is a dangerous high pitched ringing in his ears.

He had known he couldn’t win but what he hadn’t realized was how powerless he would be against her. Hadn’t thought her to be this strong. He knows he won’t last much longer; he squirms weakly now listening to his heartbeat slow in his own ears.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump. . . Thump..thump......Thump....thump.

Kuro can’t see. He feels like he’s drifting and then all of a sudden he feels completely weightless.

He sucks in a giant lung full of air, coughing and hacking and wheezing.

His ears are still ringing. But he does have since enough to realize that a large body has just slammed into the witch above him, effectively sending her flying somewhere farther down the hall. 

There’s a loud roaring battle cry as his literal savior launches over him, presumably pursuing the witch down the hall. Kuro can hear the sounds of their fighting not too far from where he lays.

“What the actual fuck is that?!” Screeches an unfamiliar voice.

“LANUAGE PIDGE!” Kuro shouts back. 

Wait.

That’s not right. Kuro didn’t say anything, did he? Besides, he can appreciate a foul mouth.

“Keith! KEITH! Get back here and grab Lance!” The person with Kuros voice screams, voice strained as he continues his battle with Haggar.

“No.” Kuro wheezes trying to roll over onto all fours, eyes dizzily searching for Lance in the chaos around him.

A red and white blur of boots runs past his head and he turns to see where the person is going. The guy, he’s human Kuro notes with mild surprise as his vision starts to swim, bends down to lift Lance into his arms.

“Lance...” Kuro gasps, stretching his hand out towards the boy.

The human in red shoots him a glare before he almost drops the blue paladin in shock. His mouth gaping, wide eyes bugging out of his head.

“SHIRO! What the hell?! Why is there a gory half naked YOU on the ground over here?”

“I KNOW RIGHT?!” Screeches the first voice again. Whoever they are they sound incredibly excited.

“Uhm, guys we’ve got to get out of here, like right this very second! Yeah that would be great!”

“Hunk, Pidge get to the green lion! Keith get Lance to blue I’m right behind you!” Not Kuro’s voice yells back in answering.

“What?! What about your EVIL GALRA TWIN you never told us about you ass?!” The boy holding Lance yells, vein popping out in his forehead.

“Yeah! We can’t just leave him. I need to run tests!” The first voice chips in.

“Fine! Hunk grab...that person and THEN get to green! If he starts to get rowdy knock him out! Now GO!”

“Don’t gotta tell me twice bossman.” One of the strangers says, voice rapidly nearing Kuro.

Kuro hisses swiping weakly at the nearing man in protest, no real harm behind the shaky movement.

“Wow there kitty cat.” The guy says before the floor drops away beneath Kuros hands. 

He’s unceremoniously slung over the guys shoulder and then they’re off; Kuro’s face smacking into the hard yellow and white armor on the persons mid back. His teeth clack together with each heavy foot fall and soon he’s so nauseous he thinks he’s going to barf all over his ride.

Kuro has no clue what’s going on. His head hurts so bad and just sucking in a lungful of air is difficult. His senses are completely blown wide and the overstimulation is quickly driving him to black out.

But first.

“Uh, Hunk? Galra Shiro isn’t lookin so-”

Kuro pukes.

“Awwwww, maaaaaaan! Why meheheeee?”

 

~~~

 

Hunk waited in the med bay staring at his best friends face through the glass front of the healing pod. This had been a close call. Too close. And he meant like WAY too close.

What if he’d lost Lance? What would he do without the other boy, out here in space, fighting a war against an entire race of aliens? What would he do without that bright smile or deep blue eyes to keep him grounded and lighten his heart when things got scary? What would he do without the jokes and terrible flirting and comforting hugs and endless stories about the planet they all missed so terribly?

He knew Lance had been suffering in silence. Hunk was observant and after a life time at his side he could read Lances thoughts faster than the boy himself could. He had possibly even realized Lances unrequited longing before Lance as well.

And what had he done? NOTHING! He hadn’t done anything. Hadn’t offered to talk to him about it, hadn’t offered a shoulder to cry on, hadn’t mentioned that he even knew about it to begin with.

It wasn’t that Lance loving another man made Hunk uncomfortable. In fact Hunk, like many things, had known about that aspect of his best friend long before Lance himself had. Lance could form an attraction towards anything with a heartbeat and a charming smile be it male, female, or even apparently alien. Of course it didn’t bother him. How could it? He loved Lance. Lance was family.

No, that hadn’t bothered him. But...maybe the fact that Shiro was taken had gotten in the way. Maybe it had made him uncomfortable enough not to address the situation. Hunk had been positive that all his friend needed was time. Time to sort out his own feelings and realize for himself that it wasn’t going to happen. I mean, Shiro was clearly head over heals for the fiery red paladin. In fact, Hunk suspected that there might have even been some history there from before Shiro went on the Kerberos mission.

But that was just an excuse for his own failings as Lances best bud. As his closets bro he should have sat him down and made sure to talk through it all with him. But he hadn’t. And he regretted it.

Never again would he let his own feelings come before what was best for his friend.

As Hunk brooded in front of Lances pod the rest of the team either leaned over a med table in the middle of the room arguing or huddled around the other occupied pod in the bay.

Hunk didn’t want to think about the contents of that one. He didn’t want to theorize over why Lance hadn’t been locked away somewhere deep inside the fortress that was the main ship of the Galran empire. He didn’t want to imagine why a half naked glara made Shiro was being attacked by an evil druid witch next to his dying friend who was covered in nothing but what he was assuming to be said mans bloodied sweatshirt…aaaand here he goes again. Thinking all these worrying thoughts.

‘Had Lance been raped’ being the most prominent fear to come to mind. Closely seconded by ‘who the hell is this guy’ and then, what had been happening when they’d come upon the whole scene?

Hunk was tired of coming up with wild ideas in his head and even more tired of listening to everyone elses. Pidges speculations especially where nerve wracking for the large yellow paladin in that she could voice aloud the worries the rest of them had without so much as a pause, never mind the flinches she received from the rest of the group.

What mattered here was that Lance was going to survive this. He would stumble out of this healing pod physically whole and Hunk would be there to help patch together the rest. He’d be damned if he let Lance out of his sight for the next couple of days. Maybe even weeks depending.

Shiro was the only other one not participating in the arguing and speculating going on in the room. He leaned against the wall closest to the doors of the bay, face guarded, arms crossed tight over his chest. He looked calm from an outwardly perspective but on the inside, he was a mess.

What had the galra done to him in order to make an almost exact copy? How had he not known? Was this other him dangerous? Was he even intelligent? Or was he just a brainless monster like the metal ones Haggar occasionally sent after them? His mind whirled through a million different questions, insecurities and doubts.

Shiro didn’t feel capable of dealing with something like this. He hadn’t even felt equipped enough to be responsible for all these other people when he first took on leadership of their rag tag group. He wasn’t old enough or experienced enough or emotionally equipped enough for the weight of it all. He wasn’t even completely whole anymore. And, on top of it all he was responsible for an entire new life form. How was he supposed to do any of this?

There where decisions to make and his input would have a great impact on what was decided here. So naturally Shiro remained silent and removed from it all. Just observing and listening.

Shiro needed to talk to Lance. In more ways than one. The most important factor here was their safety and Lances memories of his time in the hands of the galra was paramount to that. He wouldn’t really know what to do until he heard what the blue paladin had to say about his look alike.

Coran and Allura are deep in conversation over how best to contain the other Shiro until they can confirm that he is not a danger to them or, in the case that he was, what they planned on doing with him. Ideas have been tossed back and forth but most are thrown out the window for this or that reason and Allura is beginning to become quite frustrated with their lack of options. They just don’t have the manning to effectively run the prisoners ward, and they can’t risk another valuable captive being shot off into space even if they now knew that the castle was behind that whole incident. Besides they can’t test to see if he is trustworthy if they have him frozen away in a tube.

Pidge chatters on and on about all the possibilities, and what the kind of science behind this all could mean for the future of the human race while Keith vaguely nods along and sharpens his knife.

 

The whole room freezes as the distinct whiz of escaping air notifies them of an opening pod. The wrong pod. Shiro didn’t have any answers yet. He had no knowledge of what was about to step out amongst them and he was scared. Scared of this twisted version of himself. What if it hurt someone he cared about? What if…well there where so many what ifs and Shiro frankly had no time to indulge in them.

He stepped forward, trying to pull on the most leaderly air about himself that he could muster up as he held his arm out between the insatiably curious Pidge and the unknown element that sunk to the ground before them all.

No one said anything as Pidge and Keith crowded against Shiro’s back peaking over to get a better look.

Shiro anxiously waited as the man with his face stood up and slowly looked around himself; body rigid, face hard and expressionless. He wasn’t an exact copy Shiro had noted earlier with no small amount of relief, for at least the rest of the team would always be able to tell the two apart. But...

The more his eyes roamed to catalog said differences the less relieved he felt about them. This other him was clearly superior in some aspects and it made him nervous to think that he might be overpowered by his own copy if the need to subdue him arose.

There where the parts that he had already seen of course like the ears, clawed prosthetic and he suspected about the teeth when he had to slap Pidges fingers away from the other hims slack jaw. 

He could see the tips of fangs now as his copies mouth opened a little in wonder, taking in the man before him. He had boggled over the vast amounts of extra scarring covering every inch of the others body but it still didn’t stop his wary eyes now from sliding over the mirade of ragged flesh in varying color on the skin that wasn’t completely clothed in the white healing suit. What really made him uneasy though was the size difference between them.

He had kind of detected it earlier when Coran and he had had to strip and wash and redress but now with him standing tall before him it was blaringly obvious. Shiro was not scrawny by anyone’s standards. In fact he’d always thought of himself as a bit buff in a minor way. But standing next to this guy he could tell that the others arms where slightly more muscled, his waist just barely thinner, legs a little thicker and the creases between muscle in his abdomen more pronounced.

Shiro adds in the bright yellow eyes to his list of differences and....the guy looked dangerous. He looked really dangerous. Shiro doesn’t say anything as he waits and he can feel his body becoming tenser as the seconds drag by.

“Hello, Takashi.” The other man says quietly eyes slightly wide. They don’t stray from their hold on Shiros own and Shiro has to swallow before answering, trying not to show any of his own alarm at the use of his first name.

“Who are you?”

Allura doesn’t step in just yet, choosing instead to watch from a distance. She is curious to see how the whole exchange will happen between the newcomer and the rest of the humans and lets it continue on. Maybe watching them talk will help her figure out what to do with him.

Shiro’s answering seems to melt some of the tension from the other him and he notes the heavy exhale and droop in rigid shoulders. There is a slight quirk of an eyebrow and upturn at the corner of his mouth, pointed tooth peeking out once more in a funny little half smile. He chuckles lightly, holds his hands out at his sides and confidently pronounces.

“I’m you, but better. The names Kuro.” He even has the gal to wink when Shiro narrows his eyes, earning more than one snort from the small crowd behind his original.

Shiro doesn’t say anything as he continues to send a slight glare of annoyance and mistrust at his over confident copy.

Kuro waits a second before scratching the back of his neck with his metal claws smile only growing bigger.

“Ah, yes, I’m guessing you are more asking ‘what am I’ and not for my name.”

“Yes! I’d like to know the answer to that one thank you very much.” Comes a voice from a small person trying to wiggle out from under Shiro’s outstretched arm. Shiro huffs a little before grabbing the girl to halt her reckless advance.

Kuro sobers a bit, smile faltering and ears twitching with the very unfamiliar feeling of nerves.

“I’m the clone of Takashi Shirogane.” He tells her before his yellow eyes flicker back up to meet the hesitant gaze of said man. “Otherwise known as the black paladin and leader of Voltron; the most powerful weapon in exitance.”

“Well yes I figured as much but you do have a lot of differences and if you were an exact copy of his genetic code you’d be completely identical. Extra scars and robo arm beside the point of course.” The small curious person says flatly as they push their large round glasses up the bridge of their nose.

“You got me there cutie! I maybe have a bit of galra mixed in but by basic standards I have always been categorized as human.” Kuro smiles at the small person, who he is assuming to be a human child, and bends slightly placing his hands on his knees to get down to their level as he answers them.

Pidge bristles, insulted by the clones treatment of her. Shiro shifts his hold to her shoulder trying to calm her before she snaps at the guy. It doesn’t help.

“What the hell? Don’t you go talking to me like that you stupid-” Shiro hurriedly slaps his palm down over her mouth effectively silencing her before she can potentially anger the unknown element that is his clone.

Kuro just out right laughs at the childs muffled cries of indignation.

“I like him! Human children sure are spunky.” He says brightly, met with groans and a muttered, “Now you’ve done it” from the black haired human in red that had carried Lance away when they were escaping.

The tiny human finally succeeds in tearing Shiros large hand off of her mouth shrieking, “I am not a child! And I’m a girl!” Her arms and legs are wheeling as she tries to launch herself at Kuro over Shiro’s now encircling arms. His hold on the little gremlin rapidly slipping with all the wiggling. 

When she does finally break free she scrambles to get a fisted hold of Kuro’s skin tight suit before Shiro wrangles her back in and heaves her far enough away for him to think her relatively safe.

Kuro doesn’t miss a beat as he sweeps low into a bow before her, putting on the sweetest apologetic smile he can muster. “Of course you are. I am sorry, I should have known from your exceptional beauty. Please excuse my stupidity.”

Pidge goes slack at the disgusting display, face turning slightly green. “Ew, never mind. I want to be a boy again.”

This earns another laugh from Kuro. He does really like her. But what was he expecting when he’d already been so easily charmed by the other human; Lance. 

Speaking of which, where was Lance? Kuro turns away to sniff at the air ears flicking to listen for any footsteps or movement that could be the out of sight blue paladin.

Hunk finally steps up, drawing Kuro’s attention as he glares in his most intimidating way. Kuro isn’t fazed by much but he does sense that big guy here can be potentially dangerous if they don’t manage to see eye to eye.

Hunk doesn’t say anything at first and Kuro waits smile gone for the moment. Finally the man turns his glare on the rest of the ships cohabitants.

“What is wrong with you all? We don’t know if this guys good or not. He could be the reason Lance is half dead right now. This isn’t something any of us should be taking so lightly.”

Pidge huffs pulling away from Shiro and grumbling as she crosses her arms and glares at the floor. Shiro refocuses on Kuro, eyebrows and mouth drawing down into his serious leader face. Keith pushes up from his slanting lean on Shiros left shoulder. The Alteans don’t budge from there place by the med table.

“Hunk is right.” Shiro starts and Kuro wisely keeps his smart tongue to himself, actually caring for once in his life what other people might think about him and not wanting to piss anyone off right off the bat.

“Yeah I am, and I have some questions for you Mr. clone man.” At this he uncrosses his arms to point a finger at Kuros chest. Hunk doesn’t wait for a response to his declaration, plowing forward with all the rage of a best friend looking out for the well being of his bro.

“What was happening in that hallway, huh? Did you hurt Lance? Because if you laid one finger on him I swear to Jesus you are about to get the ass whooping of a life time buddy. Where are his clothes? Because when we found you two the only thing he had on was what I am assuming to be YOUR sweatshirt seeing as you where half naked! Don’t think for one moment that just cause you where getting the life chocked out of you when we arrived on the seen that I think you’re automatically innocent. I don’t. So explain yourself before I have Shiro shoot you out an airlock like the last guy.”

The ranting seems to come to an end and Kuro thinks he’s caught the majority of it. Choosing to let the airlock info simmer on a back burner for now. He instead addresses the main concerns of the big darker skinned human.

“I haven’t hurt Lance. I don’t even think I could if I ever wanted too. I’m assuming that’s a human thing. He was freezing and naked when I stole him from the prison blocks so yeah, I did give him my sweatshirt, big deal. As for the hallway; I was DYING! For your blue paladin I’ll have you know. Haggar was waiting for me to show up at the hangar with him after I took down the barriers.” Kuro watches the information sink in on their many faces.

Shiro seems unmoved by his story and Hunks eyebrows raise briefly before drawing together in a confused and slightly frustrated way. He is the first to say anything.

“But why? Why would you help him? To get your hands on the blue lion? You could have just stolen her and let Lance die. What would you have gotten out of all of this besides potential death?” Hunk splutters hands raising to exaggerate his point.

“I wouldn’t know what to do with one of those beasts. He was dying. Isn’t it human nature to help one of our own? Besides he is very beautiful is he not? It would have been a shame to let something so ethereal pass into the void at such a young age.” Kuro smiles widely ears flicking up and down as he remembers Lances surprise at being licked by him. The memory makes him warm some inside.

No one says anything after that and Kuro tries to wait patiently as they process his answer. Some with surprised looks of apprehension and others with mild disgust.

After what must have been a full minute Kuro rocks back on his heels some, leaning around Takashi to see if Lance is somehow hidden. He still hasn’t seen, smelled or even heard anything from the other boy. Where was he? Had he made it? He was assuming from their conversation that he was alive but...maybe.

His face falls some in worry and he looks directly at Takashi voicing his worries out loud.

“Where is Lance? He survived didn’t he? I could have sworn I saw that handsome man over there caring him to safety before I passed out.”

Said handsome man flushes bright red practically spitting all over the place at the unexpected compliment. He shoots a vivid glare at Kuro over Shiro’s shoulder, fists balling at his sides.

“Lance is healing, like you were just now! The pod most likely won’t be opening anytime in the next few days judging by how extensive his injuries where. Humans take a lot of time and energy to mend broken bones!” Coran pops in with his ever chipper ‘uncle knows best’ voice.

Kuro stiffens a bit in surprise before slapping a hand over his back. He scratches a bit experimentally then bends some at the waist, hunching his shoulders to stretch the skin across his back.

“Wow! Amazing! Druid healings are never this fast. How long was I in for?” He smiles widely, eyes gleaming in appreciation as he snaps his yellow gaze back to the older mustached man.

Coran preens a little at the obvious admiration before brushing imaginary dust from his shoulder, small smirk dancing across his face. “Oooh you know, five hours or so! Your injuries where nowhere near as severe as poor Lances though.”

His answer only serves to remind Kuro of his worry for the boy and he turns to inspect the line of healing pods behind him, searching for that pretty face. The closer ones are empty so he makes to step forward to walk the line of them before a tiny hand reaches up to grab at the underside of his jaw. 

This startles him enough to glance down, wide eyed at the tiny human girl with the big glass circles on her face. She frowns up at him with her small pink tongue poking out, curiosity burning behind her eyes.

Shiro just realizing Pidges absence at his side steps forward to snatch her back once more when a light hand at his elbow stops him. Allura is watching the exchange closely, gaging Kuros reaction to the invasive green paladin. She will let Shiro march right in if she gets even the slightest notion that the clone will become aggressive. But for the moment...

Shiro starts to sweat. He doesn’t trust this other man. He knows what those scars mean, knows what the arena is like and how it can change a person for the worse. He knows how it can drive even the most placid of creatures mad. He was almost there himself at one point in the rough year long period of his captivity. Judging by the immense amounts a scarring on his clones body he had been fighting a long time in the battles and he had been winning.

Everyone holds their breath waiting, watching.

Kuro kneels slowly a gentle smile across his face. He had often been a favorite of the galran children that would sometimes visit their working parents on the main ship and he was honored by the open trusting touch of this young human girl.

Kuro sat still through her thorough investigation of the more alien parts of him. She ran her fingers over his elongated ears and rubbed a little, eyes widening, as the sensitive things twitched in her gentle grip. Once satisfied she moved on to his eyes, staring into them in a detached nonpersonal sort of way, leaning in almost nose to nose to get a better look in detail. Kuro searched hers as well having never been so close to a human being before. Or at least not a willing fully conscious one.

Pidge mumbled under her breath as she observed the fascinating creature in her hands.

Next she moved on to his mouth pressing gently on both sides of his smiling lips to unhinge his jaw. Kuro opened up wide, pulling his lips back so she could get a good look at his distinctly inhuman set of razor sharp teeth. She thumbed over all four of them ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ and Kuro had to fight down fits of giggles so that he wouldn’t accidentally slobber all over her or nick one of her tiny fingertips. When she finally let go he smacked his mouth a few times and ran his tongue over his teeth and lips, trying to rewet his dry mouth. 

Pidge immediately stuck her fingers back in with a small cry of surprise that made everyone in the room jump. She grabbed ahold of his tongue between two fingers and rubbed over the surface gasping lightly in surprise at his rough cats’ tongue.

“Fascinating.” She breathed before humming to herself and removing her digits once more. Kuro having been fighting back his gag reflex swallowed a few times. and repeated the smacking from earlier.

By now the rest of the humans and Alteans in the room had relaxed enough to breathe easy. Sensing no danger from the viscous looking clone they hushedly talked amongst themselves keeping an eye on the proceedings from afar.

Pidge continued on for another twenty minutes or so as she ran fingers through the longer forelock of white, squealed over the long claws of his prosthetic arm, exclaimed over the different types of scarring she could see on his exposed skin and asked quiet questions about the kinds of injuries behind them and how they had been healed, and what kinds of aliens he had had to fight for them. Kuro answered as best he could but after such a long period of time he truly didn’t remember most of them or the stories behind them.

The tiny human thumbed over Kuros chin taking in the largest oh his visible scars where it ran from her stroking thumb to the hollow of his throat. By this point she was now sitting in Kuros lap as he leaned back against the nearest pod. Her legs having grown tired from standing idle for so long. Kuro began to speak before she could even ask. She sat quietly through his story of this one and how he had learned that day to show no mercy in the pits. She didn’t seem upset by any of the horrible details of his experiences in the arena and this one, despite his brutal outtake on it, was no different. She nodded along, soaking up every word and lost in thought picturing these images he so effortlessly weaved.

Kuro was a good story teller. It was one of the many reasons the young galran children had adored him so much. He had closed his eyes not far into his telling and when his words died out he became overly aware of the sudden silence around the room. He glanced over the human girls head to be met with the quiet contemplating and stony faces of the rest of the people in the room.

Pidge didn’t seem to notice the uncomfortable silence though and was about to launch into another string of questioning when Allura cleared her throat, shaking her head slightly at the other girl.

Pidge blinked and pouted as she climbed out of Kuros lap to join the princesses side by the med table in the middle of the room. Kuro stood nervously not really knowing how his recounting of the arena would be received by the rag tag group of humans.

Allura met his eye and stepped forward to speak.

“You must be very tired and we still have many more things to discuss before we all adjourn for the night. Let us move to a more comfortable area where we can sit and discuss how to proceed from here on.”

Kuro nods his head, polite smile plastered in place at the commanding womans words.

“Of course, lead the way gorgeous.”

Allura stiffens a little at this, hesitating on whether or not to correct him, but Coran steps forward and saves her before she can decide on the best course of action.

“We do not speak to her highness that way! This is princess Allura of the Altean race and you should address her with the respect that she deserves.”

Kuro faltered at the knowledge, having heard plenty about the downfall of the Altean people and never having seen one before.

“My apologize princess. I meant no disrespect.”

Allura nods to him before turning to exit the room.

“Hunk,” Shiro starts, “you need to be a part of these conversations too. Or at least around to hear them.”

Hunk protests vehemently for a couple of minutes before angrily giving in to the black paladins commands. He will listen to the final word of their leader, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. Once this is all sorted out everyone leaves for the rec room, leaving behind Coran who has volunteered to stay back and watch after Lance to appease Hunks worried mind.

Kuro watches these human exchanges, feeling at ease in his completely foreign environment surrounded by these strangers that snagged him away from his galra masters. He already knew he was going to love it here. He just hoped beyond hope that they could learn to trust him enough to allow him to stay amongst them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ BONUS ~
> 
> Me waiting for wedding to start 2 hours away from home.
> 
> Cell vibrates with incoming text
> 
> From: Mellisa The Dog Trainer  
> Subject: Todays class
> 
> Hey Patience just checking in to remind you to bring your new harness to class today. Don't forget we bumped it up to 6!
> 
> Me sweating profusely in a front row church pew: *quietly* Shhhhhit!


	10. Sex Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a detail Whore so what screw me *Shrug*
> 
> By the way in case you where wondering why Kuro is always calling Shiro 'Takashi' Its because he had literally thought of the man as himself for a long time at the begining. And Shiro doesn't call himself 'Shiro' in his own head thats just weird. He calls himself Takashi.

Kuro had easily fallen into life aboard the Altean ship of lions. He loved every second. Each morning he had woken to the plain white of the cell they were keeping him in at night and he couldn’t be more ecstatic.

Kuro didn’t mind that no one trusted him yet. Well maybe the littlest one who he had learned was called Pidge, but the rest would take time. He was okay with this. He was more than alright with letting them lock him away at night if it would lead to them sleeping easier. He didn’t mind that he had to spend all day at Takashi’s side. Didn’t mind the distrustful gaze and the lack of conversation from his original despite his many many attempts to get the man talking.

Takashi, or Shiro, as the rest of the group called him, seemed to be the serious type now that he was responsible for the lives of all these younger humans. Kuro tried to remind him of how bold and care free he had been back on Earth, tried to bring up stories of the life he had lived; going on daring adventures, being the golden boy of the Garrison, and even reminding him of those early days with Keith back before his capture. But Takashi never took to these retellings very well, even going so far as to pin Kuro by the throat to the wall when he had started going into detail of those fantasies of the red paladin from way back when.

Kuro couldn’t help it. He had connected the dots before lights out the first night, finally realizing why the good looking dark haired boy was so familiar. He had laughed then at the embarrassed flush on the younger mans face as he had boisterously congratulated Takashi on finally nailing down his dream boy.

Kuro had gone on to explain to the group at large how he had woken up thinking that he WAS Takashi Shirogane. How he still to this day remembers every moment of a life he had never actually lived.

Of course Pidge had had a field day with this news and by the end of the night she had a couple different samples from Kuro to pour over in her lab. He didn’t mind. He had gone through a lot more than having some blood drawn, hairs pulled or cheeks swabbed in the name of ‘science’. Besides he liked to see the tiny girl happy. Her beaming smile as she’d run off with test tubes full of ‘essence of Kuro’ had made him feel warm inside.

No one else seemed to know what to say about the new information.

Keith didn’t seem to know how to handle Kuro, a man he had no idea even existed a couple days ago, that somehow retained all of Shiro’s memories before his escape from the galra. He flushed bright and rosey whenever he caught Kuro admiring him from across the room and Kuro would just wink and blow a little kiss before Shiro was growling and bristling like a savage dog between them. The man was obscenely possessive, Kuro knew, and he seemed to feel very threatened now that he had learned Kuro felt all the same emotions for Keith as he had before his escape.

It was pretty hard for Kuro actually, as unreasonable as that might seem. His heart squeezed a bit each time Takashi and Keith would touch or brush lips, no matter how chaste it might be. He had to keep reminding himself that it wasn’t him before. That it was all Takashi and that for Keith it would always be Takashi.

Kuro respected this despite his longing for human contact. He would not push for something he didn’t deserve. He didn’t want to take that happiness away from either of them and really did regret how his knowing the more intimate details made Keith uncomfortable. But Takashi on the other hand...

Kuro learned very early on that his new favorite past time would mostly consist of seeing how thoroughly he could ruffle the feathers of his original. It filled him with giddy glee each time that aggressive fire would flare up in the others otherwise guarded gaze. Made him giggle and dance away whenever Takashi would freeze up walking ahead of him and whirl to slash out with his glowing purple hand. He loved how easily he could get the stiff man to snap. And really he didn’t have much else to do with his time seeing as he was basically leashed to the guys side.

He was having the time of his life just being here and he didn’t begrudge them their precautions. He understood that it must be more than nerve wracking for them, having such an unknown element walk amongst them. If he was in their shoes he wouldn’t want to give a stranger free rein either.

The only times he was not at the other hims elbow was when he was locked away for the night or when either of them needed to use the facilities. Even at these times Takashi was only a door away and Kuro took advantage of these moments as well. He remembers how Takashi hated talking to others when taking care of ‘business’. He remembers them snapping at their mother for knocking on the door to ask a question or how he would have to stomp the wall between the stalls of him and his friends in public restrooms to just get them to SHUT.UP!

So, naturally, Kuro used this to his advantage. He would rati-tat-tat on the door asking how much longer and complaining that the other was taking too long and asking what the plans where for the day and why they only ever ate the exact same disgusting green goo for breakfast lunch and dinner. So on and so forth until Takashi was snapping back and threatening to come shove a fist through his teeth if he needed something to do with 'that stupid mouth!’. And of course Kuro had to reply to that with fake offense and a hurt statement about how his mouth was a very smart and talented thing that got him EXACTLY what he wanted in every kind of situation. That shut the other man up pretty quickly and Kuro just laughed at the disgruntled glare he received when he did finally emerge.

The funniest Takashi moment so far had been when he had unthinkingly tossed out a very x-rated sexual joke in response to some innocent comment from Coran that had every face in the room heating up besides Pidges and the ever vigilant Hunk who had barely left Lances side and was not present. The girl howled with laughter reaching her tiny fist up for Kuro to bump his own against in a distinctly human gesture very originally named a ‘fist bump’. 

Takashi had launched to his feet face beat red spitting and spluttering before finally collecting himself enough to point a stern finger at Kuro and growled out a, “Watch what you say with MY mouth you little wanker.”

This only served to send poor Pidge into a fresh fit of mirthful shrieking. She rolled to her back kicking her legs in the air and grabbing her sides, tears trickling down her cheeks.

“He is a bad influence Pidge! Stop feeding into it!” Takashi had stomped his foot, brow furrowed and arms crossed tight. 

The whole image was too much for poor Keith sitting in a big armchair near Takashi’s abandoned seat and he failed miserable at holding in a ‘PFFT!’ of amusement before breaking down into his own peels of bell like laughter. Then Takashi rounded on him with a sharp and disapproving, “Keith!” and the rest of the room lost it, even getting a few giggles out of her highness princess Allura.

By the time Takashi had gotten a hold on the back of Kuro’s new shirt and drug him away from the rest of the teetering group he was beyond agitated. Kuro wisely decided to keep his mouth shut during the fifteen minute march to the training deck. Over the past couple days he had learned that this was an every day routine for Takashi. Sometimes more than once a day depending on what kind of day it had been.

This was the second time today and as Kuro leaned back against the wall he let his eyes roam appreciatively over his originals muscular form like he had been doing every day. He thought absently to himself that he wouldn’t mind getting railed by the slightly smaller man. It would be like getting fucked by himself. He pondered over that for a while, eyes growing glassy as he was swept away in filthy fantasies. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice Takashi heading for the communal showers until he was already halfway in the door.

Kuro smirked to himself hopping forward with a skip in his step to jog after the other man. By the time he got into the bathroom Takashi already had his sweaty shirt off and pooled at his feet on the damp ground. Kuro watched appreciatively as he unbuckled his belt and started shucking his tight black pants, briefs and all, down his pale lightly dusted thighs.

“We should bang sometime!” He doesn’t even realize what he’s said until Takashi’s confused eyes snap up to his wildly grinning face.

“Huh?” Takashi manages.

“What?” Kuro replies just realizing what he’s done. 

“AH! I said we should bang! Get down and dirty, do the deed, take a roll in the figurative hay...you know...fuck!” Takashi’s furrowed expression doesn’t change much. He stands there completely naked from the knees up as if his brain has just shut down.

Kuro snorts, rolling his eyes before speaking up again. “I’ll volunteer as bottom for the first round if it makes you feel any better. I bet your cock would feel great in m-”

“BAaauUgh!” The panicky sound of protest makes Kuro jump a little and all of a sudden Takashi’s tripping over his pants to try and ruck them back up in place.

“Kuro, please do not joke like that you are going to give me an aneurysm!”

Kuro laughs looking at the bewildered and embarrassed man before him fumbling to push his limp dick back into his pants as quickly as possible.

“Takashi, you’re too young for an aneurysm, we’re only 26!” Kuro laughs. 

“Besides I’m not joking, I’m being serious, it could be fun. You look like you need to relieve some pent up stress and I know somethings up between you and Keith. He’s not putting out right now is he?”

“KURO! STOP!” He seems genuinely mad now and Kuro sighs exasperatedly. He can never talk to the man for more than five minutes without being snapped at. He doesn’t remember him being this grouchy.

“I don’t know why you’re hiding your junk we are literally packing the exact same thing. It’s not as if I haven’t seen it.” He grumbles crossing his arms and pouting a little. He isn’t used to being turned down. 

For the galra sex is just sex. No strings attached and done just for the enjoyment of getting off. He knows it doesn’t always work like that for humans, especially ones that are in relationships, but still! Is it even cheating if you’re basically nailing yourself?

Takashi takes in a deep calming breath pushing the fingers of both hands together over his nose and pressing firmly into the space between his eyebrows. He looks like he’s praying. Probably for his sanity at this point.

“Kuro,” He exhales turning and dropping his hands from his face with a determined look. “I’m going to go in one of these stalls and take a shower and after that you and I are going to have a serious talk.” He seems to be waiting for an answer so Kuro gives him a raised eyebrow and an affirming nod screwing his mouth up in distaste.

Takashi holds a hand up in a stay gesture giving him a firm eyeballing before spinning on his heel and darting behind the nearest shower curtain.

“You forgot your towel.”

Takashi scurries back out, flushed all the way to the tops of his ears before snatching it up and storming away again.

 

~~~

 

Half an hour later sees them sitting on a bench in a room off the training deck. They sat so that they could face each other, Kuro with his legs crossed indian style and Shiro with one foot on the ground and the other leg bent and flat on its side before him.

Shiro stares hard at his clone, wet bangs dripping water onto his dark eyelashes. He’s trying to figure out how best to start in on this sensitive subject. He figures he should just pretend like he’s looking in a mirror and giving himself a pep talk. Which is a lot easier said than done when the eyes looking back at him are glowing a vibrant shade of yellow.

‘Here goes nothing.’ He sighs, scrubbing his damp towel through his hair once more as a semi distraction while he gathers his thoughts.

“Kuro,” He begins, finally glancing up to catch the clones eye leaving the towel draped over his head. 

“I know...that it was hard. I know that...” He swallows breaking away from the intense eyes baring down on him. He’s blushing again, he knows. Too embarrassed by the idea of giving another person who looks exactly like himself a sort of sex talk.

“What they did to me. It wasn’t normal. I know that you know that from my...” He trails off again. not wanting to think about that dark place inside his mind.

Kuro cuts to the chase for him.

“Is this about you being raped by the galra? I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to Takashi. I wouldn’t ever lay a hand on anyone who didn’t wish for me too.” His eyes are hard and its one of the only times in the last six days of knowing him that Shiro’s ever seen him look serious.

“Thats not exactly- Kuro I- What I’m trying to do here is let you know that I know what you went through. It happened to me too. But I also want you to know, that here? Amongst our own kind? That will not happen. The only time you should EVER touch another human being in an intimate way is if the two of you are in a safe and consensual relationship. You cannot be so...casual about sex. It makes others uncomfortable.” Shiro waits eyebrows raised and pinched together in a searching way, hoping that some of this will get through to his clone.

Shiro knows that Kuro doesn’t have any other experiences to go off of. He’d been a virgin before going up into space on the Kerberos mission. Back then he had been a firm believer in waiting for love. He still was. He had had to wait for Keith and it had been everything he had ever dared to imagine. Waiting was the single greatest decision of his life. He didn’t count the many times it was forced from him and neither did Keith and that was all that mattered.

But for Kuro…

He doesn’t know what it was like for him. But it obviously wasn’t all bad judging by his extremely open and sexual mannerisms.

Kuro shakes his head, a gentle smile of understanding on his lips.

“I was never raped Takashi. I was to valuable an asset to let the lower rankers get their hands on me. Before I climbed rank enough to gain any sort of freedom I was mostly under constant druid watch and quarantined. The only times I ever engaged in sexual activity was when I accepted others’ advances or when they accepted mine. It was good. Trust me. But,” and at this he scoots forward some leaning his head down to catch Shiro’s eyes.

Shiro hadn’t even realized he’d looked away. He sat up straighter giving the other man his full attention once more. 

Kuro smiles a bit wider, lips parting slightly to show the tips of sharp fangs and eyes creasing at the corners. He always looked so damn happy. It really got under Shiros skin for some reason. It was like an itch he couldn’t scratch. How could someone that had gone through so much be as happy and carefree as his clone was? Shiro didn’t understand. But lately there had been a lot of things like that. Things he couldn’t understand. It was so frustrating.

“I don’t want you to think that I don’t remember.” Kuro begins again. 

“I do. I remember. We waited, didn’t we? For Keith. I wish that I still had that mindset from back then. It’s like those fairy tales mom used to tell us. You remember?” Kuro’s eyes get glossy in that far off sort of way Shiro has noticed him doing quite often. 

“Knights in shining armor and valiant quests for glory? Rescuing princesses and fighting evil?” Kuro’s face grows cold, eyes dulling and loosing that wide set of excitement. He seems to be coming back to himself some. Shiro jumps a little when the other leans into his space out of nowhere.

“Waiting on Keith wasn’t an option for me Takashi.” Kuro murmurs lowly now, almost bitterly. 

“I didn’t have any frail hopes of rescue. The only things I had to keep me sane at night where your memories. The memories of another man lost in the dark of space who didn’t even know that I existed. The people where not my people, the happiness was not my happiness. For me Earth was my fairy tale. And glory?” Kuro chuckles low and dark.

“What real glory is there in being forced to slaughter the innocent for sport just to stay alive yourself? You found that though didn’t you? Here. On this team. With these people. The glory of being a hero just like in moms stories. You’re really lucky Takashi. Make sure you never take that for granted.” There is a heavy silence to the room after that as Shiro takes in the darkness seeping out past the mask Kuro usually keeps so firmly in place.

He doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t know what should be said in a moment like this one. Of course being in Kuros shoes isn’t something he could ever really imagine. He can’t comprehend how one doesn’t go mad after waking up scared and alone with all the memories of a long and mostly happy life and being told that none of it had ever happened. How had he done it? How had he survived that? And for more than twice the amount of time that Shiro himself had had to endure.

For a few moments both men are lost in deep thought. Kuro shakes his head blowing out a breath that vibrates his lips in a childish way before shrugging his shoulders at Shiros hard and haunted look.

“Anyway!” Kuro starts again, scratching self-consciously at the back of his neck with his claws. This is another habit Shiro’s picked up on. 

“I guess what I’m getting at here is that for me, with no hope of ever seeing Earth with my own eyes, or being surrounded by people of my own race; let alone enough to fall in love with one. I was lonely and I wanted to feel another persons touch. It helped on the really bad days. Training wasn’t an escape for me the same way it is for you. Training was something I was forced to do to survive, you know? So I turned to something else. Something that helped me forget about life if even for a couple of hours. I gave that part of myself away a long time ago Takashi. I can’t offer it to anyone. Besides who would I- I mean I had kinda hoped with Lance but... He has Hunk I suppose.” Kuro flashes him a sad little smile that makes Shiros heart squeeze some in sympathy.

Not enough to correct him though. Not enough to let him know that Lance was in fact free. He doesn’t trust this man, he has to remind himself. He had been through too much. Had been forced for too long to take too many lives.

 

But hadn’t that been the same for Shiro himself at one point not so long ago?

 

~~~

 

Lance knew he was dreaming, but hey, why not indulge right?

He collapsed out of the healing pod, legs not cooperating in the slightest which kinda sucks because what’s the point of having your prayers answered via dream if you can’t even walk in them? But hey he wasn’t going to complain. He just wanted to see his best friend one last time before death came knocking at his door. He’s surprised it hasn’t wrapped its warm comforting arms around him and whisked him away already.

So working or not he was going to get across this oh so familiar room and he was going to grab his friend and tell him one last time how awesome he was. How much he loved him and missed him.

Lance pulls himself back up off of shaky hands and knees to lean against the pod he’d just fallen from. This was probably the most realistic dream he had ever had in his entire life. He could smell the antiseptic in the med bays air, feel the silkiness of the healing suit he was wearing and hear the snorting of his best friends snoring perfectly.

“Hunk?” His voice cracks and it’s barely more than a whisper but apparently that’s more than enough to send dream Hunk launching to his feet as if he hadn’t just been in the deepest depths of rem sleep.

“LANCE!”

And then in two giant bounds he’s there and he’s so warm and he’s holding Lance just right. Lance wraps his right arm tight around his neck as he’s swept off his feet into the yellow paladins best bear hug. His left hand he firmly presses against his mouth, trying to muffle the relieved sobs that are wracking through his entire frame.

Hunk seems so real. He’s so gentle and Lance can feel his hot breath in the crook of his neck. He can even smell him. That familiar musk that never failed to make Lance think of coconuts when they were growing up together...

“Hunk? This is a dream…right?” Lance sounds like he’s whining but he doesn’t care. He just needs to hear him say it. Say it one time. He can’t let himself feel that hope that’s trying to ignite inside his chest until Hunk tells him.

And he does just that.

“No, Lance, this isn’t a dream. I’m here. I got you. You’re okay now. Everything’s going to be okay Lance. It’s okay.”

Hunk holds Lance tight enough to leave fresh bruises as he sobs for what feels like hours, repeating his shushed crooning of reassurances into his best friends neck. just breathing him in deep.

Lance needs to rest and Hunks back aches so badly after six consecutive nights sleeping on a table in the med bay that he really can’t get them both there fast enough. They’re both out cold within three minutes of Hunk cramming them into the tight space of his own bed. He holds Lance close to his chest and the sound of his childhood friends heart beating against him begins to unravel the tight ball of anxiety that had been forming inside of his chest since Lance had run away from him what felt like ages ago.

Lance was home and safe and alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance finds out about the 'EVIL DEMON KURO!' being on the ship in the next chapter ahahah! How's that going to boil over I wonder.


	11. Are You Ready For Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS I just had the biggest scare of my life. I thought my heart was going to shrivel up in my chest and die. 
> 
> So i am literally adding on the very final edits to this chapter that i've spent at LEAST ten hours of my life on becuase I'm someone who hits a lot of road blocks and fiddles around until it comes back to me and has to read and reread and reread again and again and go back in and add and on and on anyway my point? Literally crossing my t's and dotting my i's and I am so in love with it and my word processesor FREEZES and after that it was just one nightmare after another.
> 
> I was completly convinced that this was gone and then after an hour of trying EVERYTHING i gave up and just tried to quickly type out as much as I could remember. I go to check it out one last time and its there! I BAWLED like a liitle bitch. Thank you lord.
> 
>  
> 
> Ahem. so In this chapter we have Hunk and Coran baking a cake, Keith getting his nose busted in and Lance running right out of his adorable pink flip flops. 
> 
> Enjoy because I just had years of my life shaved off in stress trying to get this up here.

The blade feels like fire as it rips through the sensitive skin between his fingers, toes, behind his knees, in the crease of his upper thighs, under his armpits, beneath his jaw, behind his ears and it is endless. Hours upon hours of slice after agonizing slice.

The galra man is small for the race. His shoulders slim and ribs showing. His teeth are almost as yellow as his squinty eyes.

His smile widens with every scream he coaxes from Lances throat.

Lance can’t breathe. Can’t hear anything but the heavy rush of his own pulse and the gurgle of hot blood climbing his esophagus. He can’t see anything but the man before him in the darkness of the prison cell.

His torturers breath; hot and cloying and foul, washes across his face each time he presses the dull knife down hard enough to pop through his flesh and drag through another slice.

He whispers things. Horrible things. He tells Lance how bad he is. How ugly. How useless. How weak.

Lance sobs. He begs for it to end. Begs the man to kill him.

His knees gave out hours ago. His thighs shake from the pain. His wrists; pinned high above his head, feel like they’ll snap from taking all his body weight for so long. Lance can feel the faint tickle of blood running down his forearms from beneath the metal cuffs.

He’s not allowed to sleep. If he seems to be dozing the druids will come and inject something straight into his neck that forces him to stay alert. It feels like ice crawling through his bloodstream.

Eventually the slicing stops and his sobs turn to pitiful wails of relief.

The door opens and Lance screams once more. He throws himself against the restraints holding him to the wall, ripping into his wrists further.

Not again. He can’t take anymore. He wishes for the jailer to return with his dull rusty knife and nasty breath and dirty whisperings. Anything but this. Anything...

Zarkons massive palm comes up to cup his bloody tear soaked face, lifting it gently to meet his gaze.

“Hello, pet.”

 

***

 

Lance bolts up in bed. Cold sweat runs down his forehead and makes his already skin tight healing suit cling tighter to his body with the moisture.

He looks around franticly. His hyperventilating calms some when he realizes where he is.

He’s in Hunks room. In the castle of lions. He’s safe. He’s home.

The gasping turns into weak pants and he leans forward over his crossed legs to hold his head in his propped up hands.

“It’s over. It’s over.” He repeats to himself again and again until his heart rate calms and he can breathe evenly.

He feels so much better. He had forgotten what sleep felt like. Had forgotten the feeling of a healthy uninjured body.

It’s amazing.

The Altean healing pods where a gift from God himself. Lance feels like he could go for days. His stomach however chooses this moment to make itself known. It gurgles loudly at him; demanding some form of sustenance.

Lance flicks his eyes to the ticker on Hunks desk. Its late in the afternoon. Sometime after lunch and before dinner.

He’s not sure if he’s ready to face the rest of the team. Actually, the answer to that is probably a hard no. He isn’t ready. But his stomach isn’t giving him much of a choice in the matter. He feels like he hasn’t eaten in days. He probably HASN’T eaten in days.

With a loud groan he rolls himself off the side of the small bed and onto the cold metal floor beneath. He rummages through the very bottom drawer of Hunks dresser to pull out some of the spare clothes he keeps in here for sleep overs.

Finally settling on a pair of comfy sky blue jogging pants that cling to his waist and from his knees down and a light gray cropped tank that says #YOLO across the front in highlighter yellow. He figures he needs something to cheer him up today and the lounge wear is soft to the touch and relaxes his tense muscles. He digs out the only footwear he’s happened to forget in Hunks room; a hot pink pair of flipflops, and slips them on before leaving to search out some space grub.

He actually makes it all the way there without running into anyone. When he walks into the dining room though he can here happy voices drifting from the kitchen.

“Hey.” He croaks, throat still a little raw from disuse.

Hunk and Coran look up from whatever concoction they’re mixing together to see who’s joined them.

“Lance! Hey buddy, how you feeling? Me and Coran were trying to surprise you with an old Altean cake recipe. I’m not sure how well it’ll turn out though. We had to substitute in like half a dozen ingredients.” Hunks smile could power a small planet and it makes something tight in his ribcage unravel a little to see it. Lance breathes out, a small smile beginning to form on his face. He fills a bowl with green goo and starts shoveling.

“It’s good to have you back young paladin!” Coran chips in happily stirring away at a huge bowl of thick...batter?

“We’ve all really missed you you know.”

Lance laughs with his mouth full, genuinely happy to be here with these two goof balls. He hops up on the counter beside their work station assessing the damage to the kitchen before asking the one question that’s been rattling around in his head since waking up.

“How did you guys even find me? I was so deep into that hell pit. It was dangerous. I mean yeah, I’m glad you got me out but still there was so much security. You could’ve been captured!”

“Well actually we had a lot of help, unknowingly at first.” Hunk starts, he dips a finger in the batter to taste and visibly hurls a little in his own mouth before swallowing it all back down.

‘Yeah I’m not eating that.’ Lance thinks a bit disgusted.

“Kuro did most of the work. You’re lucky there was actually a good guy in there with you. Otherwise we probably wouldn’t have been able to get you. It was like out of nowhere Pidge finally got a clear read on Blue, and we wormholed the green lion in because Pidge has that cloaking device for her, right?”

Lance is extremely confused. He tries to stop Hunk to have him explain but the other just keeps talking; too caught up in his story to realize his best friends discomfort.

“Hunk wai-”

“But the place was already going nuts! Like all the smaller ships where distracted by something going on in the main ship. Oh maaaan, we were so lucky! Got green into the hangar they were keeping Blue in and had NO CLUE where the heck you could be. First door! I mean FIRST DOOR, Lance! We waltzed right in and Haggar was chocking the life out of your clone buddy and there you where! Just lying there half dead on the floor! The man’s got some serious skill to get you that close to your lion in that kind of hornets nest though. Not that you would’ve been able to pilot her home in the condition you were in. But DAMN it if the guy didn’t try.” Hunk; busy mixing together a new batch of ingredients, blows out an impressed whistle. His eyebrows raised he shakes his head slightly in awe before glancing back to take in Lances horror struck expression.

“ARE YOU OKAY?!” Lance rushes forward off his perch slamming his half empty bowl down on the counter in his haste as he grabs Hunk by the shoulders and looks him over in a panic.

“He didn’t get anyone did he? Is everyone alright? Did Haggar kill him? What happened?!”

“Whoa, slow down buddy! Kuro’s fine! Shiro knocked her right off him and I snatched him up to bring back. We’re all fine, Haggar didn’t know what to do against all of us. She ran from Shiro in like the first three minutes, I swear. Everyone’s okay.” Hunk steadies Lance as best he can without sliming him down in the ‘batter’ he’s currently working on.

Lance feels like his heart has stopped beating. He isn’t breathing. That guy...

“He’s on the ship?! Oh my GOD!” Lance starts to sprint for the door tripping over his flipflops in his haste and sprawling across the kitchen floor.

“Lance! What is it? What’s gotten into you?” Hunk scurries over, wiping his hands clean on his apron before bending over to help his friend back to his feet.

“Where is he?! What are you doing baking cakes with that animal running loose?! We hav-We-We-” Lance can’t breathe. He’s chocking on his own blood again. Can feel it climbing up the back of his throat.

“Coran, I think he’s having a panic attack! - It’s alright Lance. I got you bro, you’re safe. Remember?”

“N-No! No Hunk we have to suit up! I-I-I need my bayard! LET GO!” He yanks his arm free of Hunks concerned grip, head spinning.

“Where is he?! Hunk! Where is he?!” Lance wheezes, desperation making him look a little mad to his bewildered and slightly scared friend.

“Who? Where is who? Lance, buddy, you’re really scaring me man. You need to calm down. Everything is alright. You’re safe Lance!”

“Kuro! Where-” Lance has to bend over head swimming some. He feels like he’s going to be sick. That monster. Here. On this ship.

Lances whole body shudders remembering the image of the Shiro look alike covered from head to toe in gore, laughing like a maniac as he sliced and diced through hordes of gladiators. Even with the handicap of his absolutely wrecked back he had made it look as easy as buttering toast. He can’t let that happen here! He can’t let that man near his friends.

Images of Kuro standing in a room full of blood and the bodies of his teammates flashes before his eyes. Hunk beheaded, Keith impaled on his own sword in the wall, Pidge cut into a dozen pieces.... Shiro with his throat slit, slowly sinking to the floor between himself and Zarkons mad dog.

Lance is crying. He can feel the silent tears tracking down his cheeks.

“Lance, I don’t understand.” Hunk says gently, rubbing big warm circles into his friends back. “Do you want to talk about it maybe? You know I’ll always be here for you. You’re my best friend Lance. You can tell me anything.”

Lance straightens, grabbing for the front of his friends apron and viscously yanking him forward, smacking their foreheads together and making Hunk wince.

“Tell.me.where.Kuro.is.” He growls out, making Hunks eyes widen and having him raise his hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Easy Lance! He’s on the training deck with the rest of the team! Shiro decided he was good to start training with us today. They’re just doing some basic sparing. It’s nothing to worry about, really!”

Lance is running for the hangar before the words are even all the way out of Hunks mouth.

Kuro and Shiro are sparing. Shiro. Shiro. Shiro’s going to die.

Lance doesn’t take the time to suit up. He snags his bayard and is running once more, arms and legs pumping; heart pounding.

When he finally makes it to the training deck he freezes on the spot, chest heaving to drag in air, sweat running down his face. He clings to the doorframe soaking in the seen before him.

Kuro looks like he’s taking a walk in the park as he easily slips through and around every one of Shiros attacks.

Keith notices him first, pushing off the wall to run towards him with a huge cheesy grin stretching over his face.

“Lance!” He calls, immediately getting the attention of everyone else in the room.

Pidge and Allura light up, crying his name before running over to embrace him laughing happily at the recovery of their friend.

Lance grabs them, shoving them and Keith behind him and raising his bayard out in front of him, already formed into his signature gun.

Shiro stutters to a stop, smile dropping and hands raising some in shock.

“Shiro, come here!” Lance pants, swiping the sweat from his brow, eyes focused on evil incarnate walking up behind Shiros right shoulder.

“STOP! Don’t you take one step closer to him you piece of shit!”

Kuros smile never falters. He laughs light heartedly, dragging his gleeful yellow eyes up and down Lances quivering body.

“What are you wearing? You only have half a shirt on! Not that I don’t appreciate it.” Kuro wiggles his brows stepping a little closer.

Lance fires. Kuro slides easily out of the way still giggling over Lances attire as if he doesn’t have a gun aimed at his chest.

“LANCE! Are you crazy?!” Keith jumps forward trying to snatch his gun away. Lance smashes the palm of his hand into the other boys nose hard enough to make it start bleeding.

“Lance stop! Lower your weapon now!” Shiro shouts, absolutely livid. He strides forward to try and snatch it away from him.

“NO! Shiro turn around! He’s dangerous! You can’t trust him!” Lance yells back never taking his eyes from the man behind him.

Shiro falters at this, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. He glances over his shoulder at his clone before looking back to Lance.

“Who, Kuro? Lance...just calm down. Nobody is in danger here. We were just going through some basic sparing drills. I’m just trying to see how much formal training he’s had, okay? Just-” Shiro tries to edge a little closer. Reaching out for Lances gun.

Lance whose been completely focused on the all too relaxed and happy demon in the room suddenly skitters off to the side. Eyes instinctually flashing to Shiro for half a second before he realizes his mistake and swivels to find Kuro once more.

He’s gone!

Lance spins just as Kuro slides a clawed hand onto his naked waist and jerks him to stumble forward into his broad chest. Lances wrist is caught and squeezed in just the right way to make his fingers spasm and his bayard drops to slide away across the floor, resuming its natural state.

“ACK!” Lance swings a leg up between them, kneeing the other man in the balls and knocking the wind out of him. Kuros grip only grows tighter and he smiles down at Lance, eyebrow twitching in irritation.

“You’re much feistier than the last time we met!” There is just the slightest bit of a wheeze to his voice.

“Go to hell! You’re a monster! If you touch anyone on this ship I swear I-”

“You’ll what?” Kuro chuckles, leaning down into Lances face. 

“Hmm? Fight me in your dainty pink flipflops?” Lance lunges for the bigger mans jaw with his free fist and Kuro snags it without so much as a glance. He laughs, yellow eyes widening in delight. 

“You just become more adorable each time I see you.” Kuro purrs lovingly, running the tip of his nose down the side of Lances jaw.

Lance shudders.

A heavy hand lands on his captors shoulder and Kuro growls a little, glaring back at a very confused but disapproving Shiro.

Kuro drops Lance like he’s acid and Lance falls hard on his butt with an “OOPH!”

Lance squawks as he turns to glare at the evil man whose probably just put a new bruise on his freshly healed tailbone. Kuro has trotted over to snag his bayard and is now turning it over and over in his curious hands like a child with a new toy.

“Hey! That’s mine!” Lance slips and slides in his flops and is scooped up and restrained from any continuous attacks by a thick arm around his bare middrift.

Even now in a life and death situation Shiros muscles sliding against his skin does wicked things to his insides and he feels all the fight drain from his body almost instantly. He glances over his shoulder and swallows at the exasperated expression on his crushes face.

“Lance, leave Kuro be. He’s not trying to hurt anybody okay? He’s been around us 12 hours a day for a week now! If he was going to gut us I’m assuming he would have done so by now.”

This gets Kuros attention again and he trots back over with a bark of laughter before winking at Shiro. “You got me there Takashi!”

“TAKASHI?!” Lances eyeballs bulge like they’re going to pop out of his skull. 

“This guy calls you by your first name? What the hell! What the hell is going on here?! He is EVIL!” Lance hisses, fighting instincts kicking in once more. He swings his fists wildly; trying to get in a good whack.

Kuro leans in closer a challenging spark to his eye.

“Come at me little blue! Let’s see whatcha got.” Kuro dances back and forth in a boxer pose raising his hands up to playfully take a few swipes. He’s having entirely too much fun Lance decides, growing even angrier at the patronizing display.

“Yesh, pweeeash. Let Lansh show ‘em what he’sh got.” Keith moans hand still clutched over his dripping nose. He looks pissed and grumpy.

Lance feels bad instantly, but hey, this man is BAD! And he could hurt them! What aren’t they getting about this.

Shiro sighs heavily, seeming to actually consider it.

“Fine! You guys obviously have some stuff to work out. I’m taking Keith to the med bay to make sure his nose isn’t broken.” Shiro snaps, shaking lance a bit like a bad dog before letting him go mid swing to fall flat on his face.

“Go easy on him Kuro he’s still not up to speed and we need him ready to form Voltron at the drop of a hat, you got that?

“Sir!” Kuro snaps into a mocking salute.

Shiro nods his head before grabbing Keiths hand and walking out the door with the rest of the team, calling out a, “Don’t be late for dinner.” Before disappearing completely.

Lance goes stiff.

“What just happened?” 

They left him! They literally just left him with a mass murderer. So much for teammates having each other’s backs.

“Do they really trust you that much?!” He glances back up uncertainly to Kuro who is smiling like an idiot and racking his gaze up and down Lances lower back and butt while he’s bent over on the floor.

“HEY!” Lance shoots up to his feet hands on his hips.

“Hmmm? Oh, no. Not really. I mean I know Takashi and Allura don’t at least. The others tolerate me fine I suppose. Except for your boyfriend. I’m pretty sure that guy hates me.” Kuro shrugs tugging up one side of his mouth and showing off his fangs some.

‘Damn this guy’s hot...’ Lance shakes that thought away as quickly as it comes, smacking at his cheeks to pull his brain back into focus. ‘He’s evil, he’s-Wait what?!’

“Boyfriend? What boyfriend?!” Lance splutters.

“Uhm, Hunk? Your boyfriend?” Kuros smile drops and he takes a hesitant step forward.

Lance takes a few steps back. What is he talking about? Since when were he and Hunk dating?

“Uuuuh-” Is all he manages to get out before Kuro tosses his bayard to him. Lance lunges for it bouncing it off the tips of his fingers once before getting a hand wrapped around it.

“Hey-WHOA!” Kuro’s suddenly about an inch from his nose eyes smiling down into his own. He laughs lightly clawed hand coming up to brush the light brown hair from his cheek.

“You ready for me?” He whispers, breathe blowing out to brush against Lances mouth.

Definitely not.

“Yes?” He squeaks instead.

‘Ayyy Dios mio! I am so screwed.’ Lance moans internally. ‘Why does the devil have to be this sinfully enticing?’

Lance blinks and Kuro is almost to the other side of the room.

“How do you do that? It’s like I can’t keep my eyes on you. Like I’m losing time.”

“Ouch!” Kuro laughs.

“Stop it!”

“Stop what?” he asks stretching his arms out above his head and arching his back some to crack it. He shakes out his human hand and rolls his shoulders.

“Stop...Stop, uhh...” Lance watches the other man bend a leg up behind him, stretching out his thigh muscles.

Kuro glances up, mouth a perfect little ‘o’ and eyebrow cocked, waiting on Lance to pull himself back together. He flashes an open mouthed smile at him as he realizes he has the other boy distracted.

“UuuuhAAH! Yes! Stop that. That right there!” Lance points straight at the guys face.

Kuro throws his hands up to his chest laughing like Lance has just said the funniest thing in the world.

Lance can feel the pink creeping up on his cheeks. How dare he! No human being should be that gorgeous. But then Lance didn’t think Kuro was completely human...

“Stop smiling jeez what is wrong with you? What are you so happy about?” Lance grumbles very much put out by the other man. He’s annoying, Lance decides. No matter how hot he is he just gets on his nerves with that smiling face and open laugh. That’s right Lance just has to see past this liars charm.

All of a sudden he’s back on that balcony, staring down into a literal representation of a blood bath.

“You don’t have the right.” Lance growls marching forward, bayard glowing into life and forming his gun once more.

“You don’t have the right to sit here and be happy when I have watched you rip through forty three men and woman in one night. I watched! I counted! How DARE you!” He seethes, rage boiling up beneath his skin.

Kuros smile falls right off his stupidly handsome face, a hard defensive mask instantly snapping into place. He makes no move to stop Lance as he takes those last few steps between them, slamming his left hand into the killers chest and yanking him down by his black t-shirt. He shoves the barrel of his gun right up under Kuros perfectly square jaw.

Kuro doesn’t so much as flinch as Lance snarls up at him breathing heavy. Lance takes in the dead look in his yellow eyes. They seem empty.

‘Shake it off Lance, this man was literally made to track you and your friends down and kill you in cold blood.’

“Do it.” Kuro whispers, leaning down farther and bringing his hand up to Lances on the gun, wrapping his human fingers around Lances own on the trigger.

Lance loses some of his hostility instantly; surprise flashing through his deep blue eyes. His grip on the gun grows a little slack as his resolve wilts.

“What?” He whispers back as Kuros scarred nose bumps into his own.

“DOIT!” Kuro bark so viciously that Lances hand instinctively tightens around the trigger as he jumps in surprise. 

It was a close call. If he had pressed it in even a little farther the large man hovering over him would be dead. Gone forever.

All of a sudden it hits him. Lance is scared. He doesn’t want to take a life. Not if he doesn’t have to. Not if it isn’t life or death for him or his friends.

He goes to lower the gun, glaring up at the man above him.

“I won’t.”

“Do it, Lance.” Kuro says pleadingly, tightening his hold over Lances hand to keep him from dropping the tip of the gun.

“I deserve it.” He murmurs lowly and Lance can’t remember ever seeing a creature look as sad as the one nuzzling his nose against his own right now.

“If it’s you I’ll be okay. Just do it.” Kuro settles his galra arm around Lances bare waist, pulling him in tight against his chest and smiling a tiny bit. It doesn’t bring even a bit of life back to his eyes.

Lance gulps. 

He stares for what feels like an eternity. Breathing in the other mans exhaled breaths, feeling the light scratch of metal claws against his shaking lower back.

He can’t. He just can’t see the killer in this man. He is looking him directly in the eye and he can’t see it. He can’t feel it. This is a different person, he has to be.

He’s stunning. He’s warm and he smells so nice and he just looks so damn heavyhearted.

Lance drops the gun.

Leaning up he gently presses his lips to the melancholy mans above him.

It’s just the smallest bit of pressure but Kuro sucks in a gasp of air like he’s drowning; eyes slamming shut, other arm wrapping around him to squeeze him impossibly tighter to his chest.

“Lance...” He whimpers, lips brushing smoothly against his own.

That breaks whatever freak spell he was just under and Lance shoves violently out of his embrace. Stumbling backwards, eyes wide. He stares at the broken spirit in front of him for maybe a second before he bolts.

Why is it always him running? What just came over him? One second he was intent on murder and the next he was kissing the guy?!

‘He’s evil, he’s evil, he’s evil!’ he screams over and over in his head.

Screw dinner. Screw food. Lance doesn’t need it. His body will magically find a way around eating. He is going to lock himself away in his bedroom and never leave it. This ship is no longer safe. He is in so much danger here.

Lance finally makes it to his room, heart pounding.

He slides down against the sealed and locked door, hands hiding his face.

‘You ready for me?’ Kuro had asked him.

Hell no. 

Lances was sooo sooo far from being ready for Kuro. In fact, he probably never would be.

He peeks down at his naked toes through his fingers. He had run right out of his flip flops. That sucks, because they were his favorite.

“Oh mierda!” Lance swears slamming a fist into the floor beside him. He had left his damn bayard.

 

~~~

 

Kuros heart leaps straight out of his chest at the slightest press of silk soft lips against his own.

He’s falling and he has to slam his eyes shut and suck in a sharp breath to keep himself grounded.

All thoughts of the gun pressed to his jaw fall away and he brings his other arm up to clutch this small tragically beautiful man tight to his chest.

“Lance...” He manages to choke out against the lips barely pressing into his own.

It’s like he’s just dumped an ice bath over the younger mans head and all of a sudden he’s stumbling back with the force of him pushing away.

He gapes at Lance, body frozen to the spot. Kuro can physically see the color draining from his face.

Lance bolts.

Kuro watches him run clean out of those adorable hot pink flip flops.

Damn.

‘What just happened... Lance had-He had-They had-’

Kuro trips forward to follow and his foot smacks into something on the floor sending it spiraling away.

Lances bayard. He pauses before walking over and picking it up to study once more.

He needs a quiet place to think and now, looking down at the blue paladins weapon, he knows exactly where he’s going...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Presenting Kuro: God of sexual tension.
> 
> *Dramatic jazz hands*


	12. Faithful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Hunk. He is the best friend every person needs.
> 
> Also i like binged 'I'm The One' by DJ Khaled ft. Justin Beiber while typing this. Its too catchy.

Hunk found Lance in his bedroom about an hour after the team was supposed to gather for dinner. Neither Lance nor Kuro had shown up and after discussing it with the rest Hunk was assigned to track down Lance and Pidge was picked to go find Kuro because, frankly speaking, Shiro was getting tired of babysitting and Keith needed him.

It had taken at least twenty minutes to get his friend to unlock the door for him and that was only when he’d informed Lance that he had brought food and that his knuckles where bruising from the constant rapping against the hard metal door.

Lance had not been happy, but after another hour or so of cuddling and sorta edible neon green cake consumption he had finally broken down and talked. He talked and talk and Hunk let him. He listened to Lance way into the night through ups and downs, crying bouts, snuggle breaks and bathroom breaks, another slice of cake, more crying. Hunk was there for it all.

Lance told him about his crush on Shiro and how he was terrified that it might even be more than that. He talked about the months of trying desperately to keep it secret and how he was positive Keith knew and that for some strange reason the spit fire hadn’t jealously called him out on it. He told Hunk about how badly it hurt to pretend to be happy around the rest of them and how he hated not being happy. He talked about how messed up it was that Hunk hadn’t come to him when he had found out and Hunk held him tighter apologizing over and over again. Lance of course forgave him and ended up moving on to how he had woken up with a concussion while Blue was being attacked.

He told Hunk about being Zarkons prisoner and the torture he had gone through in the short amount of time that he had been there. He told hunk about that nasty jailer with his dull rusty knife and horrible breath. He talked about his first run in with Kuro and being licked and how terrified he was all alone behind enemy lines. Lance explained in great detail about his time up in the balcony with Zarkon as they had looked down on Kuros battles and how Zarkon had told him about his plans for Kuro to kill them all.

Hunk listened to all of Lances suspicions and how the other man was beyond unstable and extremely dangerous to have on the ship. And Hunk realized that Lance WAS genuinely afraid. He was afraid for their lives. Hunk pondered over this for the better half of the night.

Now, looking down at the a slightly drooly Lance smushed up to his side he realizes that if he’s going to take any part in the talking for the evening he’s going to have to do it now before the other boy is completely gone in sleep.

“Lance?” He murmurs bracing himself for the inevitable wave of salt he’s undoubtable going to receive for his personal opinion on this whole Kuro matter.

“Mmmm...”

“Lance, I just need you to stay awake a little longer man. I want to tell you something, kay?” He waits as Lance moans agitatedly, clearly exhausted.

“Huuuunk…can’tit waaait?”

“No. It can’t. If I wait then you’ll just brush me off until we sit down for another heart to heart sometime in the future and you and I both know that you’re ridiculously hard to wrangle into any sort of mushy convoing. So, listen up.” He looks down to make sure he has the others attention and runs into a very grumpy pair of blue peepers.

“This better be quick I am TIRED.” He grumbles making Hunk chuckle a little.

“Yeah buddy I’ll make it quick, okay?” Hunk pauses leaning back into the mountain of blankets and pillows he has somehow managed to manhandled into a sort of nest on Lances bed. Gathering his thoughts as he tries to word it in a way that won’t have his friends feathers all in a fluff.

“You know when we first met those scum bags Nyma and Rolo? And I was all like, ‘Eck, no guys there’s something wrong here?’”

“Yeah, I got handcuffed to a tree by a kinky alien woman. Needless to say I definitely remember this story. What about it?” Lance seems to perk up a bit more eyes glowing a bit with curiosity.

“Lance, you know how suspicious I am. It’s not like that was the first time. I get that weird tummy feeling whenever I'm around shifty people.”

Lance nods along, probably thinking back on the many times Hunks intuition had saved their tails back on Earth.

“But…” Hunk licks at his lips nervously, before pressing on. He knows his friend has to hear this from him.

“That first night when we brought you home? I didn't just pick up any guy you know. I grabbed a man who was about to die. Right beside YOU.” He cocks an eyebrow, peaking down for a reaction from the corner of his eye. When Lance doesn’t say anything he decides it’s safe enough to continue on without a latino meltdown.

“I didn't know why he was getting his ass handed to him back then, but hey, I wasn't getting that weird feeling you know? SO! I sat there that first night and I listened to Kuro. The dude talked for hours. He like answered every question we could possibly think of and he did it so willingly like he just wanted to lay out his soul and have us accept it for what it was. And yes, that included all of the arena killing as well. Actually, Pidge was all over him for gruesome scar stories within the first hour. I swear I’ve never seen the girl more starry eyed than when she’s around that guy.” Hunk could feel Lances small fist balling up in the front of his shirt but he pushed on anyway, despite the silent warning.

“He told us about how he was created and what he was created for and what he's been doing on Zarkons ship for the past two years and he told us about how he met you and got in trouble for licking your cheek. Which ew, who does that?!” Hunk laughs a little at that, nudging Lance a bit to try and lighten the suddenly heavy mood in the room.

“Then he told us about getting punished for it and how that's why it took him so long to get you away from there. It just didn't add up for me. I didn't get why he'd want to help you escape. He didn't sound as if he really minded life spent on Zarkons ship and I called him out on that. He laughed and said that I was right. That he didn't really know he was going in for a full-fledged rescue until after he'd sat with you in the cell for a while. He said that originally getting you away from Zarkon was for entirely selfish reasons. And you know what I believe that. I believe that he chose on the fly to snatch away the universes greatest hope right from under Zarkons nose. And I also think that he did it all a hell of a lot better than any of us could've. You know we probably wouldn’t have gotten out of there alive if it hadn’t been for him doing all that. We wouldn’t be here Lance.” Hunk lets this sit in the frigid air for a couple of minutes and he can feel the other boy chewing though it in his own head.

“I didn't get any weird vibes from him that night, besides that maybe he has a licking fetish. Gross, but there are worse things to be into, right?”

Lance still doesn’t comment and if Hunk couldn’t feel how tense his friend is then he’d think the other had passed out on him. As it is he knows Lance is just being stubborn and needs time to work through it all.

“I can’t make you trust him, Lance. I don’t want to. I want you to make your own decision, you know? And I know you’ve seen him do terrible things. I know he really scared you. It’s just that…” Hunk tries to gather his thoughts once more, not really knowing where exactly he was going with this. He chews on his lip for a few ticks before it comes back to him.

“I haven’t even been around the guy that much. But you know what? You know what Lance? I stayed with you almost the whole week and the one other person that seemed almost as concerned as I was, was Kuro. I saw him more than anyone else on the team. He would sometimes have Shiro bring him down to check up on you.” Hunk waits and sighs when Lance still has nothing to say.

“He's never said much to me, I mean I have no clue why but I get the feeling the guy hates me. Which is ridiculous for one; because IIIII didn't puke all over him, and two; because we haven’t even had a decent one on one conversation yet. But the point is, is that I've never gotten those heeby jeebies from him.” He holds Lance a little tighter when he feels the warmth of silent tears soaking into his side, skootching down into the heaps of plush multi-colored blankets to get more comfy as he settles in for the night.

“I just thought you’d want to hear it from someone you trust. Maybe you need to try and give him a second chance.” Hunk brushes the wet strands of hair away from the others eyes before leaning forward and planting a kiss on his forehead.

“Good night bud.” He whispers.

Being Lances best bro isn’t always easy, but he loves this crazy and irrational kid, and he’ll stand by him in whatever decision he makes. But for now, he just needs to give him time.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Hunk forces himself to stay awake until he can feel the deep even breathing of the other boy against his side. Only then does he let his mind drift off into a fuzzy dark sleep.

 

~~~

 

Kuro’s been sitting on the blue lions head for most of the night before the first person finds him.

It’s Keith of all people and he really doesn’t want to be bothered by the little tease at the moment. In fact, Kuro is sure he could happily live the rest of his life without having to suffer through the agony that is pinning after Keith fucking Kogane anymore.

To be fair to Keith he really hasn’t been TRYING to get to Kuro. If anything, It seems like the red paladin has been going out of his way just to stay far away from his boyfriends clone and well… Kuro wont dig any deeper into that personal sore spot if he can help it.

“What do you want?” He growls down at the tiny figure below, glowing yellow eyes narrowing to slits as he bares his fangs some in warning. 

Not that the human man can see any of it from all the way down there. He’s surprised the other could even track him down in this pitch black. He had remained silent until he was absolutely sure he had been found out as the younger man crossed his arms and craned his neck back to glare up at him on his perch.

He isn’t in the mood for all this melodrama that seems to be attached at the hip to the human race. So many emotions and blah blah blaaah. He should’ve just stayed on Zarkons ship and gotten skinned alive for his disobedience. ANYTHING but this endless loop of self-hatred and guilt and that other funny tingly feeling that’s been wringing his heart out all night long after the blue paladin had brushed his lips over his own. He isn’t even sure if it counted as a kiss it was so light.

“Excuse me?! You’re in big trouble you know. Shiro and Allura are furious. You skipped dinner and then didn’t show up for lock down. What are you even doing in here?” Keith looks around at the empty space, tightly crossed arms giving away his defensive posture.

Kuro can see the dark bags under his eyes from up here and he thinks the other must be very tired. Why had he stayed up this late? To find him?

“In case it hasn’t been made entirely obvious in my week long stay, I have no interest in the insides of pretty little humans and I will not be growing one in the near future. Your safe to rest from the big bad wolf for now. Scurry along to your bed little red paladin. I’m in no mood to be disturbed.” Kuro draws waving his clawed hand at the other in an attempt to get the boy away from his otherwise undisturbed brooding space.

“I’m not the only one looking for you, you know. Shiro will find you eventually. Besides Pidge wants you. She’s in the green lions hangar buried nose deep in all that tech crap she likes. Go see her before she gets irritated with you.”

Kuro sensing an end to the conversation waits for the other to leave but Keith doesn’t move; instead shifting from foot to foot hesitantly. He is clearly very uncomfortable but stubbornly staying for some reason or another.

“What is it?” Kuro snaps, a touch of a growl creeping into his voice again. 

Kuro can feel his pinched eyebrows twitch in irritation and he drops his head down onto his propped right knee swinging his free leg over the bridge of the lions nose to try and fight off some of the worked up energy zinging beneath his skin.

“I have a question. About your memory.” Keith pauses before tacking on a stuttered, “Of- Of m-me.” He blushes fire truck red and Kuro drops both legs over the edge leaning out over thin air as he supports his full body weight on the palms of his hands behind him.

“Ooohh?” He purrs, the first smile he’s had since the encounter with Lance creeping across his face. He is genuinely interested in what the other has to say now.

“Spit it out then you have my attention.”

Keith doesn’t say anything. He glares down at the tops of his boots and Kuro irritatedly thinks he’s never seen anything cuter than that little pout on the smaller mans lips.

With a few easy leaps and skids his feet hit the floor and Keith gawks at his smooth dismount only tossing his head away when Kuro steps up into his personal space.

Kuro reaches for Keiths jaw to try and turn his eyes back to him, but suddenly there is a knife at his throat.

“You know this isn’t the first time today I’ve been threatened this way and I’m quickly tiring of it.” Kuro deadpans, eyes growing dim and face setting into a disgruntled look.

“Don’t touch me.” Keith snaps back in answering.

Kuro holds his hands up, cocking an eyebrow before the knife is gone once more. He rocks back a step folding his arms up behind his back to fight back the traitorous urges to touch and feel. Among other things.

“Are you asking your questions or not?”

 

~~~

 

By the time Shiro finds Kuro the only coherent thought going through his mind is how amazing watching his foot disappear up the others ass is going to be.

Then he sees Keith.

Keith who laughs, tossing his black mane of hair over a shoulder and flushing bright red at something his clone has just said to him. Shiro stutters to a standstill; a nasty churning feeling starting up and ripping its ugly claws through his chest and gut.

Keith always had a thing for bad boys he knows and Kuro is the very definition of a ‘bad boy’.

Shiro’s been dreading this moment since he first found out that his clone retained all of his own feelings for the love of his life. How could he not be afraid of something like this? He had fought through hell with the image of Keith forefront in his mind. Kuro felt all of that. Kuro remembered all of that.

What wouldn’t he do for the angel that was Keith Kogane? Who wouldn’t he kill to protect this boy?

But more Importantly; what would Kuro do?

Shiro can feel the panic building in the cage of his ribs. Then all of a sudden his feet are moving once more. His fist connects before his mind has time to register what it is he’s doing. Kuro spins away to skip back a few steps, anger making his nostrils flare and his jaw drop to flash those razor sharp teeth. Shiro doesn’t care, he’s going to kill him. He steps forward once more to beat the living shit out of this man before an arm wraps around his raised and glowing galra prosthetic.

Shiro looks down at Keiths smiling face and the shock has him skidding to a stop. Keith doesn’t say anything before toeing up in his boots to plant a sweet soft kiss to his slightly open mouth and the lava coursing through Shiros veins cools almost instantly.

Keith would always be faithful to him and him alone. Shiro trusts him with his life. He trusts him with his heart. How could he let someone else wash that out for him just now? So what if Kuro was in love with his boy. Keith would always choose him.

Keith takes a step back, letting his hand slide down into Shiros waiting grip and the larger man takes a deep breathe before turning back to his shut off clone. They stare at each other for a couple tense moments before Keith squeezes his hand and Shiro clears his throat.

“Pidge is looking for you.” Is all he says.

Then he pulls Keith tight under his arm and gently leads him away to their room. They haven’t had a lot of time to talk in the last week and Shiro decides its way overdue. Along with other things.

He has to ask though, “Why are you grinning like that?”

Keith just chuckles; flushing a delighted pink shade as he peaks up at the love of his life from beneath his lashes.

“No reason.”

 

~~~

 

Pidge laughs when she sees the slightly swollen purple spot on Kuros upper cheek, making the overgrown cat man shoot her a viscous glare in response.

“It’s not funny!” He whines, flicking his ears some to show his distress.

Pidge of course doesn’t let up. Eventually she calms down enough to ask, “Shiro?”

“Yeah.”

She cackles again slapping a knee when she starts chocking on her own spit.

“You look like a drowned cat.” She informs him dryly once she’s finally collected herself again.

“Bad day?” She turns back around to bend over her key board, giving him an easy out if he decides he doesn’t want to talk about it.

Kuro sighs sitting down next to her chair to lean back against her leg.

“Shouldn’t human children be in bed?” He grumbles eyebrows grumping down over his eyes, pout firmly in place.

“Ouch!” He cries, slapping a hand over his freshly pinched ear and glaring up at the girl who’s still busily typing away at her station.

“Not a child.” She informs him for the millionth time, peeking down after a second.

“Yeah well…” He sticks a tongue out at her, lacking a response to that at the moment.

“Nnneh!” She retaliates before turning back around.

“Talk or leave kitty cat. I’m busy.”

Kuro knows she’s just being nice in the only way she knows how. He considers it for a moment, mulling it over in his head.

He has never had this before. A warm body to lean on. A willing ear to spill to when his feelings get all jumbled up inside and he’s having a hard time working through it all on his own. He isn’t used to this easy trust that sits around the castle like dust.

Frankly speaking it’s quiet addicting. He’s been affection and touch starved for so long that he soaks up the attention like a fat cat bathing in sunlight.

If there is anyone who won’t go blabbing about his problems to others its Pidge. She has rapidly become Kuros number one person on the ship and he knows that if he ever had too he’d tear entire planets apart for this tiny human girl.

“Lance tried to blow my head off earlier.” He grumbles, pulling his knees up to rest his crossed arms and head on.

Pidge ‘hmmm’s at this, dropping a hand down to scratch behind one of Kuro’s ears absent mindedly as she works on one handed.

Kuro feels a lot of the tension melt away and begins to purr, leaning into the casual touch.

“Then he kissed me.” He sighs.

Pidges fingers still for a tick before hesitantly starting up again.

“Well…you are his type after all. Maybe he’s just using you as his emotional punching bag until he gets over this whole Shiro hurtle he’s struggling with.” She pipes up after a couple minutes of silence.

Kuro stirs some hearing this, having just been on the brink of sleep from the light scratching.

“Huh?” He says, craning his head back to lean against her small thigh so he can stare up at her face.

Her mouth puckers and shifts to the side as if she’s contemplating her next words.

“Well,” She smacks her lips, erring around the subject a bit before coming to a stopping point and shifting her glasses to look down at Kuro in her lap. Her other hand comes down to scratch behind his neglected ear and Kuro’s eyes droop immediately in a half lethargic state as his purring picks up again.

“Pidge have I told you you’re my favorite yet?”

“Yes. Now pay attention, I hate drama and I’m only spouting this crap storm once.”

Kuro shifts up some into a more alert position, giving her his full and undivided attention.

“Did anyone tell you how Lance got himself captured?”

Kuro realizes that no, he hasn’t heard about it and frowns in answering. How had he not asked about this earlier?

“You see Lance has been drooling all over Shiro for like two months now or something. And as we all know Shiro and Keith are very much together in a romantic relationship.” She shrugs her shoulders at the light mumbling and shifting from the man in her lap, scratching a bit harder to distract him.

“So, Lance doesn’t say anything, not that EVERYONE on the entire ship can’t see it flashing across his face in neon lights. He was painfully obvious. Painfully. Like it was bad.” She sighs long and drawn out as if just remembering it is exhausting to her small emotional capacity.

It probably is, Kuro decides. He is completely invested in this story though, having had absolutely no idea of any of this. How could he have? It’s not like the others were running their mouths about this juicy gossip.

Kuro’s mind briefly flashes back to that unreadable pained expression on the blue paladins face the first time he had met him. Maybe there have been signs…

“Well it was all going to shit in a handbasket with jealous Keith being all pissy, and goody-two-shoes Shiro fluttering around the issue and then you have the rest of us just sweating through it like everything’s all good. Lance WALKS in on Shiro trying to get advice on the situation from Hunk-"

“Well THAT’S pretty ballsy of him going straight to the guys boyfriend!” Kuro interjects tossing his hands up in a wtf gesture and snorting.

“What? Who are you talking about? Hunk?”

“Well yeah who else would I be talking about?” Kuro snaps irritably, pout fixed back into place as Pidges hands stop doing whatever it is they’re doing.

“Kuro, Lance and Hunk are practically related. They are like…BEST friends. That would be so weird, ew, no.”

Kuro sits up turning around wide eyed to stare at the girl in incredulous shock.

“But I thought….”

“Uhhhm nope, think again. Absolutely impossible I’m telling you. Plus, Lance is like super romantic. He wouldn’t be the kind of person to be unfaithful if he was in any sort of relationship. Now sit back again and let me play with those funny ears so I can distract myself from all this bullshit. It makes my stomach sick.”

Kuro hesitates, mind officially blown, before doing what she says; mouth still hanging wide in his alarm.

“Anyway, where was I before I was so rudely interrupted?” She grumbles pulling lightly on his right ear as punishment.

“Tch!” He swats at her. “Shiro was going to Hunk for advice because he’s a pussy and has no balls.”

“Oh yes, correct. SO. Shiro and Hunk are having this awful conversation about Lances crushing and guess who hears it?”

“Lance?”

“Lance! Of course, right? As if things needed to get any more dramatic. Well Keith, the oblivious asshole, catches Lance snooping and outs him to Shiro and Hunk. Long story short Lance runs away.”

“I’m getting the feeling he does that a lot.”

“He does. Stop interrupting. Well he went to sit in Blue because that’s where he goes when he’s upset. Hunk went later on to check on him and Lance LEAVES! Without any armor or weapons or even a fuck you. He gets captured, and well, I’m sure you know more of the story from there on.”

Kuro sits there for a long time just absorbing all of this new information.

“So why did you tell me this again?” He finally asks, long after Pidge has turned back to her work. Seriously though when did this girl sleep?

“Hmm, oh yes. Because you said that Lance kissed you.” She answers, squinting at something on her bright screen before attacking the keys once more.

“So what? What does that have to do with any of that?”

“Kuro you aren’t stupid, I wouldn’t tolerate you if you were. Do I have to spell it out for you?”

With a growing sense of displeasure Kuro realizes that, no. She doesn’t…

“I look just like him.” He spits, face scrunching up in distaste.

Lance had kissed him to ease some of his pent up emotional baggage for Takashi. He wasn’t the one the pretty caramel skinned, blue eyed boy was really interested in.

“What’s so great about that guy anyway?!” Kuro blows up, jumping to his feet to pace around like a caged animal.

Pidge shoots him an amused glance.

“You mean what ISN’T great about Shiro, right? I mean if I wasn’t as gay as a unicorn farting glitter under a rainbow I’d be all over that too.”

“Pidge, you’re too young.”

She shrugs nonchalantly. “Age is just a number Kuro. Your technically under three years of age. Should I start changing your diapers?”

She has a point and Kuro hates it.

“He’s a wuss!”

“No. He’s human. He is like…the poster boy for the human race.” Pidge stops what she’s working on again to spin towards Kuro. She crosses her arms and legs, cocking an eyebrow at him as if to dare him to argue with her.

“Lance misses Earth. He had this huge family and all these friends. He was outgoing and athletic and well loved by everyone he met. I know because he, Hunk and I where a team back there.” She scoots down a bit more uncrossing her legs to toe the floor and spin her chair in a slow half circle while she remembers.

“He was so proud of his family. He had a million and one pictures of his newest niece alone not to mention his six siblings and his momma and his pops who had passed away like three years before I met him. He still can’t remember his old man without sobbing in his room for a whole night with a bottle of questionable alien liquor. Actually, he can’t really talk about any of them without that happening. My point is that I think Shiro reminds Lance of home and family and all that jazz. So naturally he fell head over heels for him.” Pidge sighs sadly, a look of rare concern flitting across her face before she remembers she’s being watched.

She slaps her hands down on her thighs before standing up and cracking her back with a huge yawn.

“Well, story times over. I’m going to try and grab like two hours of sleep before space dad comes and yanks me to the breakfast table. You should try and sleep. You might have to fight off a crazy Cuban boy again tomorrow.” She walks past him, stretching a hand up to pat his shoulder before tossing a wave over her shoulder and disappearing through the dark door of the hangar.

 

Kuro’s head feels like it’s going to explode. He isn’t even the slightest bit tired after the emotional rollercoaster her story telling has just run him over with.

He stalks through the dark castle, snapping his fingers into the dark of the training deck to get the lights to flash on.

He might as well take his frustration out on the mindless fighting drones before he needs to be presentable for the rest of the ship.

He sets the training level to an easy eight before letting his mind shut down in a haze of furious slashing and shredding and crushing.

Shiro walks in a couple hours later to do his morning laps around the track only to stop and watch from the side lines as his clone whirls around the room like a deadly purple hurricane. He’s never seen anyone fight like that and it makes something inside of him very sad to see it.

Kuro is a broken soul and Shiro just doesn’t have the energy to give him to try and help. He knows what it feels like to be a monster. He knows what it’s like to be the Champion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so just because I know im not going to be able to squeeze this ino the story later on, let me explain what was going on between Keith and Kuro. 
> 
> Keith confronted him about his feelings for him and Kuro, not being one to lie, told him that yes they where there. But also that he didnt have to worry because he respects Takashi and wanted them to be happy together. They talked for a while and Keith became more comfortable around the clone when Kuro hears Takashi coming for them. He tells Keith to pretend like he's just said the best thing in the world. And Keith hesitates unsure where Kuro is going with this and a little uneasy at the request. After Kuro tells him it'll be worth it trust me. He does it turning red in embarrassment. Cue Jealous Shiro knocking the living daylights out of the best bro an insecure Korean boy can ever ask for... 
> 
> Kuro really is too kind I swear. He could tell that they where going through a slump and decided to literally take a hit for the home team to help them work through it.
> 
> Okay carry on.


	13. Let me help you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so for those of you who don't read the comments I'm literally leaving in a few hours to pick up my 4 year old sister for a week and am going to have my hands full. Updates might be scarce to none but do not panic! Im not giving up on this fic and i'll try my best to work on it if I can. I wrote you guys this giant chapter (7,746 words bury me now) as a small apology. Its only a week!

Shiro loved to sing in the shower. There-for Kuro loved to sing in the shower. It wasn’t something he had had much opportunity to do before now because the galra didn’t use showers. They had communal bathing pools stuffed full of gross sweaty men ninety percent of the time and Kuro refused to belt out The Supremes when surrounded by the bland grouchy purple warriors.

So you better believe he took full advantage of the empty shower room after destroying hundreds of fighting bots in the last couple hours. He had lost track of time but judging by the ferocious monster gnawing away at the inside of his stomach it was well past breakfast and the training deck had remained suspiciously empty during all of this time.

Kuro would listen to songs all day long in his head and somehow that had helped him stay mostly sane in the past few years. He loved humming them to himself and Takashis memories where packed full of good music. The other man had a thing for oldies but goodies which was frustrating in the fact that Kuro knew there were other kinds of music out there but was limited to just what the other had bothered to memorize himself. Here in the castle of Lions he figured he could risk a few tunes while he scrubbed away all the cooled sweat from his workout.

It felt great to finely let loose and exercise his vocals and soon he was lost in a haze of swaying to song after song. He sang all of his favorites from memory.

He belted out Build Me Up Buttercup, My Girl, I’d Just Love To Lay You Down, Sugar Sugar, I Can’t Help Myself, Baby Love, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart and on and on. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough was by far his favorite and he got really into this one dancing under the hot spray of water and even taking on a gentler tone when singing the female role in the song. Kuro sang until his throat was raw. It felt so good. Like the words where healing him from the inside out. He felt lighter somehow.

By the time the water ran ice cold against his skin he was in a much better mood and ready to face the rest of the ships inhabitants.

He steps out, still humming brightly to the empty room only to fall all over himself in surprise at seeing Lance slouched against the far wall.

Kuro doesn’t blush easily. Embarrassment is a hard emotion to conjure up when one has spent so much of his time being degraded and treated like less than an animal by Haggar and her numerous druids. But now, being caught in such a state by the other human he can’t for the life of him beat the blush down.

Neither of them say anything as Kuro dresses into his only spare change of clothes, provided to him by Takashi.

When he’s finished he turns back to Lance, still sitting on the floor with a blank expression and arms crossed over his chest.

Kuro raises his arms at his sides before letting them slap down again. “What? Did you need something? You missed training with me for the moment if that’s what you’re looking for.”

Lance still remains silent as he watches the other man with those big blue eyes and its starting to make Kuro fidgety.

“What is it?” he growls out, shifting his weight to his other foot and trying hard to keep a relaxed posture.

“How do you know those songs?” Lance blurts, genuine curiosity eating up his face.

“I remember all of Takashi’s life from before he escaped.” Kuro says with a frown. 

“Why? Am I not allowed to sing?” Now he does cross his arms self-consciously. Blush returning to his cheeks.

“No that’s not- You-You have a nice voice.” Lance stutters out, looking down into his cupped palms as if he’s holding something very interesting.

Kuro’s heart skips a beat and his eyes widen, face growing ever darker at the others admission.

Lance takes a deep breath before looking up from under his lashes at the clone. His eyes flicker across Kuros face and over his scars, finally settling on the biggest one stretching the length of his neck. Kuro fights the urge to touch it.

“I want to try and be friends. If that’s alright with you.” Lance speaks up, meeting Kuros gaze once more.

Kuro is more than a little confused.

“You tried to blow my head off last night.”

Lance flushes at the memory and scrambles to his feet, walking a little closer.

“Yeah well I’m sorry okay. I didn’t know what all you had done for me. And,” He steps a bit closer extending a hand towards Kuro, “I just wanted to say… Thank you. For saving my life.”

Lances words take a few ticks to sink in and a huge mass of emotion starts building up inside him.

Kuros not going to cry. He isn’t going to cry. He drops his eyes to the hand extended towards him and practically lunges for it with both hands wrapping it up tight and smiling the biggest wobbly smile he can manage.

A little laugh falls from his lips, happiness swelling inside his chest. He’s never had anyone tell him thank you before. It is by far the best thing he has every felt in his measly two and a half years of existing.

“I’d,” He has to swallow and clear his throat before continuing, “Uhem, I would love to be your friend Lance. Thanks for giving me a chance.”

Kuros cheeks are starting to cramp from how hard he’s cheesing and he snaps his gaze back up to the shocked eyes before him.

“…Yeah.” Lance says. His eyes grow softer after a second of taking in the wide-open gratefulness and joy on the larger mans face. “Me too. Thanks for giving me a chance…Kuro.”

 

~~~

 

Lance was more than a little skeptical at the thought of giving Kuro anything more than a swift kick in the head, but his best friend had never steered him wrong before and Lance owed it to him to at least explore the option before making a final decision on the man he had learned was actually Shiros clone.

He had sat in his room until breakfast and then made his way down, mentally prepared to be somewhat hospitable.

Kuro hadn’t been there.

Lance later overheard Shiro telling a worried Pidge that Kuro was taking his frustrations out on the training bots and how it was a good thing the castle could produce more at a rapid fire rate because otherwise there wouldn’t have been a single one left within the first twenty minutes. Shiro told the girl that it was best to just let him work it out himself and to give him some space for now. Pidge still seemed flustered even after learning the clones whereabouts and Lance wondered not for the first time what the guy could have down to get all of these people with trust issues to care so much in such a short amount of time.

It was frustrating. Lance felt sort of left out waking up to such an overwhelming change in his teammates. What was so great about this Kuro dude?

He decided that he would go take a look for himself and snuck away from the rest to make his way down to the training deck.

The castle had cleaned it spotless by the time he got there and Lance thought that he must have missed him. When he turned to leave though the deep full timbre of happy singing hit his ear and he whirled around towards the shower room, feet caring him without any real message from his brain at all.

He stood inside the doorway for maybe fifteen minutes before deciding to make himself comfortable.

Damn. This guy could sing. He had an amazing voice and he wasn’t shy at all about it. He belted the lyrics out with a passion that left Lance flabbergasted. How could someone have THAT much confidence that their voice wouldn’t suddenly crack out of nowhere?

Kuro sang on and on and Lance was lost to the music; eventually slouching down almost flat to the ground and squeezing his eyes closed. Most of what Kuro sang was very old. Things that were probably before even his grandmothers age. Lance did note with mild surprise that every single one was some sort of love song though. He didn’t mind. It was uplifting and warm and he sung them so well. It felt like Earth.

Kuros voice reminds him of home.

Lance almost doesn’t notice when the other man steps out of the shower stall. He jumps about a foot in the air; startled by the loud surprised noise the soaking wet clone gasps out upon seeing him sitting there.

Lance has good grace enough to attempt to look sheepish but he isn’t sure if it registers with the clearly embarrassed guy. He spins away, shoulders stiff to towel off and dress into a pair of very very tight dark wash jeans and a snug black T-shirt.

They must have been Shiros because there is no way anything that tight could be any sort of comfortable.

Kuro takes his time, clearly trying to collect himself before addressing his unintentional audience member.

When he does finally turn it’s with a cautious vulnerable glow to his yellow gaze and Lance notes that even without pupils he has extremely expressive eyes.

Kuro raises his arms at his sides before letting them slap down again. “What? Did you need something? You missed training with me for the moment if that’s what you’re looking for.”

Lance chooses to remain silent as he watches that childlike expression get swallowed up by the mans emotionless mask. After a few ticks Kuro starts fidgeting.

“What is it?” Kuro eventually growls out. Shifting to his other foot in a nervous way.

“How do you know those songs?” Lance blurts, genuinely curious at this point.

Kuro seems to become even more self-conscious and the fidgeting worsens.

“I remember all of Takashi’s life from before he escaped.” He says with a deep Shiro like frown.

“Why? Am I not allowed to sing?” Kuro crosses his arms, red spots flaring up on his cheeks.

“No that’s not- You-You have a nice voice.” Lance stutters extremely nervous all of a sudden. He drops his eyes to his hands, mapping out the lines of his palms to keep his mind from spinning.

Lance takes a deep breath and holds it before looking up at the other man. He takes in Kuros blotchy purple bruised cheek, wondering what had happened to him. Then he looks over the mass amounts of scars in varying sizes covering the majority of his visible skin. He really had been through the ringer. He glances up to the worst of them. Looking at it makes the hard ball of mistrust within his chest soften some.

“I want to try and be friends. If that’s alright with you.” Lance’s mouth spits out without his brains express permission. He isn’t sure exactly where it came from. But now thinking it over he realizes that its true. He doesn’t know why but something about Kuros frank openness speaks to his own soul and he wants to see more of it.

Kuro looks more than just a little confused. His mouth parts a little to show the very tips of fangs inside.

“You tried to blow my head off last night.” Is what the clone chooses to say in answering.

Well that’s embarrassing.

Lance scrambles to his feet, trying to regain some of his lost composure. He takes a few steps closer to the disoriented man, trying to convey his seriousness at the offer.

“Yeah well I’m sorry okay. I didn’t know what all you had done for me. And,” He steps a bit closer extending a hand towards Kuro, “I just wanted to say… Thank you. For saving my life.”

For a tick Lance thinks Kuro might cry. But then the others glassy gaze falls to his extended hand and he lunges for it making Lance jerk slightly in surprise. Kuro just grasps it tightly between his own large palms, squeezing in a heartwarming sort of way.

The biggest smile breaks across the others watery face and it wobbles a little in a way that has Lances heart squeezing as tightly as the calloused hands wrapped around his own. Kuro is beautiful Lance realizes. Even with his vast number of scars and yellow glowy eyes and those ears that twitch every now and then as if listening to a million tiny things Lance can’t hear himself. He’s earnest and free spirited and it makes him beautiful.

It’s a very different kind of look from Shiros rugged masculine charm and for a split-second Lance wonders if he will ever prefer this version to the original. He brushes it off as nonsense. Nothing could compare to Shiro.

A splintered laugh rolls off the mans lips as his chest visibly fills up with some sort of emotion that Lance can’t even begin to guess at. He looks so happy just at the idea of Lance wanting to be friends with him.

“I’d,” He chokes and has to start over. “Uhem, I would love to be your friend Lance. Thanks for giving me a chance.”

‘Oh god,’ Lance falters, heartrate skyrocketing as he takes in the cutest look of pure joy on this grown mans face. He’s still breathing, right?

“…Yeah.” Lance finally manages to force out. He can feel his eyes droop with warm affection as he eats up the open and trusting expression plastered across Kuros face.

“Me too. Thanks for giving me a chance…Kuro.”

The sun on its brightest day couldn’t have been more blinding than the smile he receives in answering.

‘I think…I could get used to this.’ He thinks as he gently extracts his hand from the other mans.

“Are you hungry? It should be lunch time soon and you weren’t there for breakfast. We could walk together if you want?” Lance hesitantly asks, wondering if he’s pushing for too much too fast.

“Yes! Hungry, right! Food. Food sounds good. Let’s do it.” Kuros ears flick and he claps his hands together, rubbing them back and forth before gesturing Lance towards the door.

“Uuuhm, Okay.” Lance laughs a little awkwardly. He really wasn’t expecting the eager reply and it threw him off a bit. 

Lance flashes his first real smile to Kuro and the others toothy grin only grows, wide eyes sparkling down at him. Lance is quickly realizing how someone who looks so rough around the edges has gained a spot amongst his friends this quickly.

“You’re cute!” he blurts unthinkingly and Kuros sputtering pink cheeked reaction more than makes up for his embarrassing slip in judgement.

Lance giggles nervously as he rushes from the room, mentally kicking himself for his stupid auto pilot mouth.

‘You’re cute?!’

‘You’re cute’ isn’t something you just blurt out to a guy your trying to befriend.

He peeks over at Kuro skipping along at his side and realizes that the other man must not have ever received many compliments before. That kidish wobbly grin is back and his long ears are pink on the top. He seems happy.

Lunch is spent with the rest of the team. Lance in his spot between Hunk and Keith and Kuro across the table in his new seat between Pidge and Coran. They occasionally exchange smiles and Hunk nonchalantly nudges Lance beneath the table to get his attention.

When this happens for the third time and the green goo on his spoon splashes into his lap Lance glares at his friend as he wipes it away.

“What?!” He hisses under his breath, already knowing what’s about to spill out of his best friends smug mouth.

Hunk leans in close whispering, “I told you so!” To a grumbling Lance before letting him finish the rest of his goo in relative peace.

Lance listens to Kuro and Pidge chat about her newest run of experiments with Kuros blood and how she might actually be able to write up a formula for cloning in the next couple of weeks. Kuro nods along in an interested manner, eyes never straying far from the gremlins smug little sneer and Lance wonders if Kuro can actually keep up with whatever gobbledy gook she’s spouting or if, like himself, he really has no clue what she’s talking about. 

Lance kind of gets the feeling while watching his shifty eyes that he’s actually working through the problems right along side her and he wonders if that is something Kuro picked up on his own or if it’s something Shiro passed on to him. Either way the clone is obviously extremely intelligent and it makes Lance wonder what else there is to Kuro that he doesn’t know about.

When Shiro drags them away to training after lunch he makes sure to ask him if he followed along with anything Pidge was saying earlier.

Shiro gives him a weird look before chuckling lightly. “NO. Don’t even worry about it Lance I can’t even begin to comprehend all that rubbish. I was never good at formulas and chemical composition and things like that. I barely passed the minimum requirements for flight school because of chemistry class.”

Lance doesn’t comment any further, instead choosing to fall back and walk beside Hunk towards the back of the group. He keeps an eye on Kuro at the front matching his strides to the short girl beside him and slowing the groups progression a bit to make sure that he doesn’t leave her in his long-legged dust.

He’s considerate Lance realizes. 

Why was it that just last night all he could see was a monster? All these sides of Kuro he’s seen today are like a completely different person than the one Lance had watched in the arena. It’s very confusing and Lance can’t really wrap his head around it all. 

How can someone be so savage and violent and at the same time be capable of such an honest smile and kind words and gestures towards the rest of them? He doesn’t get it. He has never met anyone like Kuro before and he is starting to come to the conclusion that he might never fully understand what’s going on in the other mans head.

Training is brutal for Lance today and he knows that Shiro is quickly becoming frustrated with his obvious digression. He pushes harder and harder but he just can’t seem to keep up. It’s pretty embarrassing actually. He already knows he’s the weakest member and now he’s holding them all back even more just because he’d had his ass handed to him for a couple of days. He shouldn’t have fallen this far behind in such a short amount of time.

No one says anything to him about it but he can feel them all thinking it. Hunk tries to cheer him up but Lance is too overly aware of a pair of yellow eyes keeping track of him to really pay much attention to his bros assurances that he’ll get back up to speed soon enough. 

Lance hates that he’s looking so weak in front of the newcomer and he starts messing up more and more. Before long Keith and Pidge are snapping at him and Shiros face is set into a grim expression.

Lance winces as he hits the ground hard, breaking the group formation and automatically tagging Hunk and Keith as ‘out’.

“UGH! You’re doing this on purpose! Stop messing around Lance some of us care about whether we live or die in a real fight!” Keith yanks his helmet off, storming up to glare down at the blue paladin.

“Keith! Drop it!” Shiro snaps, tossing an arm out in front of his boyfriend to shove him back a step.

“Shut up Mullet!” Lance barks back before grabbing ahold of Shiros outstretched arm and hoisting himself back onto unsteady feet.

“I’m going to take a break. You guys keep going without me. I just need to get some water.”

Shiro pats him on the back and tells him to take as much time as he needs and Lance flashes him a smile that he really hopes looks real enough.

“Sure thing man.” He yanks off his own helmet and pushes his fingers through his sweat drenched hair before trotting off to the shower room, grabbing his water bottle from the sidelines on his way.

Lance doesn’t realize he’s been followed until a clean towel is dropped on his wet head after he’s finished running tap water over it.

He sighs. “Thanks Hunk, but you know you should be out there bud. The team needs you now more than ever with me being such a pansy ass.” Lance stands scrubbing his hair dry with the towel.

Hunk doesn’t say anything and Lance turns, running a corner of the towel over his face to remove any stray droplets, to find Kuro’s inquisitive yellow gaze instead of the one he was expecting.

“…Oh. I thought you were-”

“Hunk?” Kuro raises an eyebrow and tilts his head to the side, offering a small close-lipped smile as he looks down on him.

“Err yeah. Anyways, thanks man.” Lance flashes his signature smile before turning to leave and Kuro reaches out to grab a hold of his wrist.

Lance freezes turning only slightly to glance behind him with a questioning look.

Doesn’t this guy realize he just needed a minute to himself? Apparently not.

“What?” Lance snaps a little, trying to fight back most of the bite in it.

Kuro watches him for a tick before taking a small step forward.

“I can help you. If you want.”

Lance glares hard, ripping his wrist out of the guys loose grasp, eyebrows set into a scowl.

“Are you messing with me man? Look I know I look pretty pathetic out there but I’ve got this taken care of. I don’t need your…pity, or whatever this is.”

“Lance! I’m not trying t-“

“Just shove it jerk! I’m actually trying here. It’s not like I’m being the weak link on purpose.” Lance goes to storm away but doesn’t even get in three steps before he’s yanked back against the hard planes of Kuros stomach.

“GET OFF!” He hollers, shoving an elbow into the taut muscle behind him. Jesus does this guys skin have ANY give in it?

Kuro spins him around, snagging his wrists in both hands before Lance can punch him across that purple cheek of his.

“What is wrong with you? I said LET GO!” Lance tugs hard against the grip avoiding eye contact like the plague.

“LANCE!” He jumps, eyes snapping up to look at the angry clone holding him in place.

Kuro’s furious and a not so small part of Lance is starting to actual get scared here. He gulps, ceasing his struggles to wait and see what the larger man plans to do.

“You are not the weak link. Why would you even think that? You’re having a bad day, so what. Keith is a raging ass, so what? Get over it. Just don’t stoop so low as to sell yourself short.”

Lance gapes wide eyed with indignation. What did this guy know?! He’s around him for not even a full day and all of a sudden he’s an expert on all things ‘Lance’? Uh he thinks NOT!

Lance lurches up on the tips of his toes shoving his face into Kuro’s personal space before growling out, “You don’t know anything about me! You’re an asshole! You know me for what? Maybe 24 hours and suddenly you know what’s best for me. I said SHOVE it.” At this Lance places his palms against the other mans broad shoulders and pushes as hard as he can. Kuro barely even rocks on his planted feet.

“What don’t you get about that?” Lance snarls, falling back flat on his feet to try and twist his hands free of the vice like grip.

“I want to help.” Kuro murmurs lowly, blank expression staring patiently down at the flighty Cuban boy in his grasp.

“Well you’re not doing a very good job!” Lance spits glaring up at him.

“Meet me for one practice in the morning before breakfast. If you don’t learn anything or you decide you don’t like it I won’t push anymore. Just… give me the chance to try. It’s not like I have anything else to do around here anyway. Just try Lance.” His mask breaks a little to show some of that vulnerable hope underneath and it has Lances reluctant heart lurching again.

He swallows and grudgingly thinks it over for a moment.

“You’ll let me go if I say yes?”

“Oh!” Kuro drops his hands like he’s been burned, eyes widening into a worried expression.

“Sorry. Did I scare you? I didn’t realize. Are your hands all right?

Lance doesn’t answer as he rubs at his red wrists. He stares at the restless guy as his mouth falls into an anxious frown. Lance doesn’t really think the other man meant any harm. He just kind of seems like he isn’t used to human interaction and like he’s struggling with how to reach out to him.

Lance heaves a big sigh. Grimacing a little before mumbling out a, “Yeah sure. We’ll try one day okay?”

Kuro’s face lights up and that open smile is back, fangs drawing Lances eyes. They’re pretty cool looking now that he’s gotten sort of used to them.

“Okay! So… five a.m.?”

“Yeah I’ll be here.” Lance doesn’t bother to say anything else as he marches away to finish up practice with the rest of the team. He’s already regretting the early wake up call tomorrow but maybe… maybe Kuro really can help him. It doesn’t hurt to try at least.

The team doesn’t say anything when he rejoins them but in the end Shiro has to call it about twenty minutes early to keep Pidge and Keith from strangling him.

By the time he crawls into bed that night Lance is 10/10 done with the day. He almost forgets to set his alarm.

Almost.

Five a.m. calls way too early for the exhausted blue paladin and he’s seriously considering rolling back over and burying his head beneath the pile of pillows on his messy bed.

Images of the disappointed and concerned looks he had gotten from his team are in the end all the motivation he needs to roll onto his feet and pull on a clean set of work out clothes.

Kuro better make this worth his while.

 

~~~

 

Kuro sleeps like the dead on top of the blue lions head. He had been up for almost forty-eight hours by the time he closes his eyes. Years of mental training are the only thing that makes him wake at four thirty sharp.

He had asked Takashi for an outfit made to exercise in the night before and the guy had handed over a pair of black loose stretchy shorts and a slightly baggier dark grey shirt than the black ones he had given him for everyday use. He also tossed him a worn out pair of running shoes and a clean set of black socks and told him that they would stop on a trade planet to get his wardrobe set up the next day. ‘So you don’t have to steal everything I own’ he had grumbled before spinning Kuro around and pushing him out the door and into the hallway.

Kuro has just enough time to snag two fresh water bottles and a couple pieces of some weird fruit before heading to meet Lance on the training deck.

He’s already changed, stretched out and eating his own purple crunchy whatever this thing is when Lance stumbles in looking as if someone had just scraped his carcass off the road and dressed it up in pretty clothing.

Kuro chooses not to comment, instead tossing the organic fruit thing to Lance and giving his bright outfit a good once over.

Lance wears a skin tight sky blue silky tank top in some stretchy material that compliments the warm shade of his skin perfectly. His forever long legs are wrapped tight in frothy blue ocean water patterned stretchy pants that have black mesh cutouts on the thighs and across the backs of his calves. They look amazing; the compression fabric hugs his light curves perfectly. Kuro wonders what the zippers at the sides of his ankles are for before deciding that it’s probably just some sort of fashion statement and not really a necessary functioning part to the get-up. His shoes are, of course, blue and sportsy looking with large check marks on the sides.

The blue paladin has a nice lithe lightly muscled body and Kuro can’t help but eat him up with all that clingy cloth on him. Is he drooling? Probably.

He watches from his seat on the floor after Lance is done eating while the other boy stretches and contorts his body into all sorts of weird unnecessary positions and Kuro starts to giggle at how absurd they’re getting. Lance is so dead tired he doesn’t even seem to notice the other mans amusement until Kuro calls out to him.

“What are you doing?” He chuckles, not unkindly.

Lance throws him a grouchy frown before unbending and standing up straight once more. He walks over with a very loose stride turning his torso from side to side.

“Uh yoga?” Lace deadpans, choosing not to elaborate.

“What is ‘yoga’?”

Lance looks a little irritated but he rolls his eyes and answers anyway.

“It’s a spiritual Hindu practice that allows you to connect with your chi and relax your body and soul. It’s good for you.”

“I have no clue what you just said.” Kuro shrugs. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah let’s get this over with.” Lance yawns widely, tearing up some.

Kuro hops to his feet and they walk to the stairs, climbing up to the second floor to get to the running track. Kuro starts a light jog waiting for Lance to follow before really stretching out into an easy loping gait that eats up the track beneath him. He’s impressed with how well Lance can keep up and how even his breathing remains well into the run. Thinking it over though the guy does have an ideal runners physique. He must keep up with it then.

Takashi joins them around mile three and by the time they hit mile five Kuro can tell that Lance is seriously starting to tire. Kuro calls a halt and Takashi waves them off as they make their way back down to the practice floor below.

Here comes the hard part. Kuro pulls a stretchy black blindfold out of nowhere swinging it in front of Lances exertion flushed face. Kuro tries not to think about how good the smaller man looks this way; covered in a thin sheen of sweat, eyes squeezed shut, breathing irregular and bright cheeked. He takes a deep breath and holds it, trying to shove his dirty thoughts back in the gutter where they belong.

“You trust me?”

“Uhm, yeah that’s a nope from me.” Lance pants, settling his hands on his waist and drooping some as he tries to regain his wind.

Kuro laughs reaching out and securing the material around the younger mans eyes anyway.

He laughs harder when Lance purrs out a, “Kinky” with a small but confident smirk.

Kuro runs over to his small pile of belongings off to the side, grabbing his large knife from its sheath.

He trots back, slowing to a walk before he reaches Lance and grabs his right hand turning it over to slide the hilt in and wrapping those long slim fingers around it tightly. When Kuro lets go his hand falls some with the weight of it.

“Wha-” Lances forehead puckers, mouth falling open a little as he turns the hilt over in his hand, rubbing his fingers across it experimentally. “Is this a knife?!”

Lance goes to rip the blindfold off and Kuro catches his fingers before he can.

“Hey now it’s alright. Leave it.”

“Why did you give me this? This is like super dangerous dude!” Lances tone skyrockets into an exasperatedly high pitch.

“Its fine. Just make sure to hold it so that the sharp edge faces away from your body, here let me show you.” Kuro carefully slides his hand down Lances perfectly toned arm, briefly noting the smattering of dark freckles towards the top of his shoulder to grab ahold of his fingers once more, not wanting to startle him while he holds the wicked sharp object. 

He pries them open to turn the blade back into the correct position then settles his fingers where they need to be, squeezing over them to show Lance he needs to hold on tightly. Kuro raises Lances arm into a proper protective position. He slides his feet apart turning his waist some and settling a hand on his shoulder to push him down into a decent defensive stance.

“Alright. This is going to be simple. I’m going to move around you as quietly as I can and try to touch you from any sides you leave unguarded. If you think I’m getting close I want you to try and cut me. Got it?”

“NO! I don’t got it, Kuro. This is crazy. I could hurt you!” Sweat starts beading on Lances forehead and Kuro backs away chuckling lightly.

“Are you ready?”

“I JUST SAID I WASN’T READY!!!” Lance straightens from his slightly crouched stance, reaching for the blindfold again.

“Go!” Kuro darts forward laughing to snatch Lances hand away from the mask. He spins him around in a circle to disorient him and stops him with his back too him knocking his feet apart to spread them and dropping a heavy hand on his shoulder at the same time to get him back into position.

“Whoa!” Lance flails, waving the knife dangerously close to the perfect skin of his cheek. Kuro snags the edge between two fingers before it can scar him.

“Cut me Lance. I am literally touching you it doesn’t get any easier.”

“I’m not going to cut you, you Moron!” Lance is getting a bit flustered now which is exactly what Kuro’s going for. Anger always worked best for him when he needed to learn new things for the arena. If he can get Lance to harness that the right way they can actually start getting things done here.

“Pussy.” He whispers in the other boys ear before letting go and falling back.

He slaps Lances ass hard, sending the smaller boy careening forward with a sharp, “HEY!”

Lance spins around and takes a couple uneasy steps back, face screwed up in warning.

“Don’t touch the goods dude. Strictly off limits.”

Kuro having sidled up to his left side now brushes a swift thumb behind his ear making Lance jump with a small squeak of surprise.

“Then protect yourself.”

“What…How?! I can’t see anything!” Lance looks a little frightened now and again he reaches for the blindfold.

Kuro snatches his hand away jerking him forward to stumble past him, being ever mindful of the blade in case he needs to step in and keep him from accidentally hurting himself. He runs a firm hand up the backside of Lances thigh, thoroughly enjoying himself at this point.

There is a squawk of protest and suddenly Lance is spinning to lash out with the knife. Its clumsy for sure but hey at least they’re getting somewhere now.

“Good! Now you just have to keep me away.” Kuro chuckles smile ever present on his face.

With Lance completely blind and none the wiser Kuros free to let his eyes drag over his body as much as he wants. He has to be careful not to get to excited with the constant groping and dancing around that they’re doing. Within ten minutes he’s coaxed Lance into a game of cat and mouse and the other boys just settling down enough to learn to feel Kuros movements around him.

Lance is an extremely quick student. He eats up the new information like rain to a dehydrated plant and Kuro feels pride start to swell within him. He knew that Lance wasn’t incapable of learning as Pidge and Keith had so nastily put it. You just had to give him the right motivation and some one on one attention to see the results.

Ten more minutes of this and Lance is waiting patiently for any movement of air around him or the barely there exhale of Kuro’s breathing. Of course Kuro could go completely unnoticed if he wanted to but that would just defeat the whole purpose of the training. As time wears on Kuro finds it harder and harder to land a hand on Lances butt which is kind of frustrating because the damned round thing is absolutely perfect and feels incredibly too nice in the palm of his hand.

Time flies as the blue paladin actually starts to have fun. He can tell he’s getting good at this and it makes him feel great about himself for once. He grudgingly admits to himself that Kuro’s teaching methods and gentle coaxing touches to settle him back into proper positioning are really effective. There is no pressure like during team practice and Lance can feel the positive feedback radiating through the air to him each time he manages to impress the man dancing around him.

Maybe having Kuro teach him to fight wouldn’t be so bad after all. Maybe having a regular morning practice with him would actually be something fun and enjoyable to wake up to each day.

When Kuro actually has to deflect a slice with his forearm he knocks the knife from Lances hand and grabs his knee jerking it high up on his hip to make the other man fall back into his other outstretched and waiting arm. He holds Lance bent back like this as if they had just finished a fast-paced dance and the glowing bronzed boy in his arms starts to shake with delighted breathless laughter.

Kuro laughs with him, yellow eyes crinkling up as he grins. He pulls him back to his feet letting him hold onto his shoulders for balance as he unties the blindfold from around his eyes. They are both very much out of breath and Lance doesn’t remove his hands from where they grip Kuro as he blinks away tears at the sudden brightness of the room.

Kuro reaches up to cup his smiling cheek with his human hand, brushing away the stinging tears with the rough pad of his calloused thumb.

“You did so well Lance!” he says warmly, leaning forward to bump their foreheads together as he purrs contentedly.

Lances eyes widen and he drops his hands away as his face burns beat red. Kuro doesn’t stop him as he pulls away with an embarrassed snicker.

“Thanks, I guess... No! I Mean! I mean thank you. Thanks. Uhhh, yeah thank you. That’s totally what I’m trying to say and I’m like really thirsty so I’ll just...” He points to the water bottles on the other side of the room while skipping back, flashing one last grin before spinning and racing away from a very dopey looking Kuro.

Said clone sighs blissfully watching Lance run from him. This was by far the best idea he has ever had. He could get very used to the casual touching that training the young man permits and he could do it fast. Lance is the most endearing creature he’s ever met. He’s funny and good looking and quick on his feet. He has a sharp mind and the ability to do great things and above all else he’s kind.

Unlike everyone else aboard the ship Lance had seen Kuro at his worst and he still chose to extend a hand in friendship. Kuro realizes that he will treasure whatever relationship Lance is willing to give him. If the man wanted him to be his personal foot servant he’d probably agree with a grateful smile.

“Kuro.” Takashi starts right behind Kuro’s shoulder. So he wasn’t the only one who had mastered sneaking. He turns to take in Shiros guarded expression. The other man has his arms folded tightly and his jaw set in what Pidge calls his dad look.

Shiro gestures over his shoulder turning to walk towards an empty room off of the main training floor.

Kuro huffs an annoyed puff of air before following after him, closing the door behind them.

“He did good.” Shiro begins eyes hard as he leans back against the closest wall.

“Yeah, I knew he could. With the right methods.”

“You mean with the right touch?” Kuros head jerks up at this, mouth set and face blank as he focuses in on the other man. Shiros unreadable expression doesn’t so much as twitch and Kuro’s warnings start blaring. He isn’t happy about something. Kuro folds his own slightly bulkier arms across his own chest narrowing his bright eyes and pursing his lips as he tries to figure out what exactly the problem is.

“What are you getting at Takashi? Just spit it out, I don’t care for your human mind games.”

The other man bristles slightly at Kuros tone of voice.

“Don’t touch him anymore.” He growls out.

Kuro snorts in disbelief at the order. “You cannot be serious. You’re joking, right? What are you jealous? What would Keith say?”

Shiro bolts forward to grab up the front of Kuros shirt but Kuro isn’t having it this time. He’s bent over backwards to accommodate Takashis dominant position amongst his fellow humans and the man still feels threatened whenever he so much as sneezes. But Kuros done with it. His original can’t keep treating him like a bad dog forever. He swats the glowing metal hand away and red sparks fly with the metal on metal friction.

There is a tense silence where Shiro takes a step forward and Kuro shifts his feet slightly apart holding his arms loose at his side just in case the other man lunges for him again.

“Drop it Takashi. You can’t dictate over every little thing I do and do not do. Lance needed help. Your teaching just wasn’t working for him and that’s fine. He needed to go in a different direction. Leave it at that. We don’t have to make this a pissing contest.”

“If you want to take over his personal training that’s between you and him, but cut out the groping. It isn’t fair to Lance. You’re just going to hurt him that way. He’s not emotionally stable enough right now to handle your selfish cravings okay? Keep it in your pants and be professional.”

“You mean because he’s in love with you.” Kuro waits, suspicions confirmed by the small flare of surprise that flits through the others steely eyes before they harden once more. 

“We aren’t the same man Takashi. He’s free to move on if he wants too. You can’t have both of them.”

Shiros nostrils flare as he grits his teeth together, galra arm flaring back to life with his sudden burst of anger. “We don’t know if that’s how Lance sees it. What if your just his substitute for the real thing? Have you thought about that? Even if something happened between the two of you how would you KNOW Kuro?!”

Kuro doesn’t say anything. No of course he hasn’t thought this all through. He’s never had to deal with things like this before. Being surrounded by other humans is a mentally exhausting roller coaster of emotional ups and downs and Kuro has spent the last two years plus trying to smash his own into dust and sweep them under the figurative rug.

Takashis eyes glow a little with some sort of vindictive pride at leaving him speechless and Kuro has to turn on his heel and flee before he knocks the mans teeth in.

“Fuck!” He seethes brushing past a very startled Lance before snatching his water bottle up and chugging down the majority of its contents.

“Kuro?” Lance asks in a hesitant voice and Kuro whips around to snap at him before coming up short at the tiny concerned smile on the pretty boys lips.

Lance holds something out to him and Kuro looks down to see his favorite knife, polished spotless, blade held in Lances hand by the purple cloth he usually keeps tucked away at the bottom of its slightly to large sheath.

Lance nudges it forward some, offering it up hilt first.

The fire drains from his muscles instantly and he sags some as he deflates.

“Thanks Lance.” He feels the curve of his mouth before the relief and gratefulness really settle in for him.

He takes the boys outstretched hand, ignoring the offered knife in favor of sliding his fingers over the backs of the thin ones holding it.

Lance smiles a little wider, eyelashes fluttering as he blushes lightly, looking down at his hand in Kuros much larger hold.

“No problem man. I figured it was the least I could do if you were getting chewed out by Shiro. He can be scary when he’s mad.”

Kuros heart throbs painfully inside his chest and he pulls his hand back, carefully griping the hilt of the knife and lifting it away from the others palm.

“Yeah. Something like that.” He mumbles switching the knife to his glara hand so he can ruffle his human one through the downy softness of the others fawn colored tresses.

“Hey now watch the dew!” Lance laughs pulling the hand from his hair and walking past him towards the showers.

“You skipping a shower?” Lance calls back to Kuro.

‘And miss a chance to see that ass peeled out of those skin tight pants? I think not.’

“Hell no!” Kuro sing songs, making Lance laugh. He runs to stow his knife away before trotting after the unfairly attractive retreating back of the smaller man.

He is so incredibly screwed.

Takashis words play out over and over in his head for the rest of the day. Every time he sees the blue paladins brilliant smile his insides feel like they’re liquifying and then that voice comes creeping back in.

‘How do you know?'

Well... he doesn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just imagine Kuro trying not to stare when Lance started stripping XD lol poor baby.


	14. New Rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIIIIIIIIIVE!
> 
> I won't even begin to try an explain the kind of week I just had (-_-) 
> 
> This is a shorter chapter cuase i'm still absolutely exhausted. 
> 
> But guess what guys?! We have fanart! AHHHH! Check this amazing peice out by Prongs on my Tumblr. 
> 
> https://emotionalglutton.tumblr.com/

Shiro watched over Kuro and Lances practices each morning from his higher vantage point. Secretly he was impressed. Kuro really did know what he was doing. It had only been a little less than two months since they started and already there was a marked improvement in the blue paladin. Shiro could see it in his quicker reaction times and his constant shifting of stance while in one on one combat. He saw it in that determined set to his jaw and the tiny flash of self-confidence that washed across his face when he nailed out a sequence just right.

Lance was learning much more, much quicker than Shiro or Allura had ever been able to teach him.

Though Shiro was proud of the younger man it was a little hurtful to know that as leader he hadn’t been able to be there for him the way his clone was proving to be. Kuro seemed to know exactly what Lance needed when he needed it. He made reading the smaller man look effortless; calling out praise when Lance did well and gently reprimanding when it was called for. Kuro was delicate with his corrections and Shiro could see that over time Lance was beginning to let his wary guard down around his battle scarred instructor.

Lance was prone to internalize his frustrations at himself when learning new training methods proved to be extremely difficult and Kuro was ever patient and light heartedly chiding when the younger man started to sink into one of these funks. He seemed to know just exactly how to ease him out of it and Shiro would watch enviously as that brightness would shine back through as if Kuro had just needed to wipe the grim away.

‘Why can’t I do that?!’

Shiro felt like a failure.

He had trained with Lance for so long! He had honestly thought that the younger man was just ungifted in the fighting department and that his talents only lay with his shooting abilities. He was ashamed of himself. How had he not seen it? Why was it that Kuro waltzes in and is just like ‘yeah, this kids got the goods’ after watching him repeatedly fall on his ass during one team practice? Was he really that incompetent compared to a man that was made up of HIMSELF?

Another thing Shiro noticed was that Kuro seemed to have taken his no touching warning to heart. Shiro made sure to watch for it; for the groping and the easy slide of fingers where they didn’t need to be. But it never came. He watched as that clawed metal hand would subconsciously reach only to pause midair and drop away from the smiling chattering light brown boy below.

Each time Shiro would watch Kuros face to see that small sad smile fix into place. Lance never seemed to notice. Probably because around Kuro Lance turned into the brightest ball of sunshine Shiro had ever seen. He babbled on and on endlessly about god knows what and Kuro would just smile and watch, adoration shining through plain as day.

It made Shiro uncomfortable to watch. He was…apprehensive, so to speak.

It’s not that he didn’t like Kuro. In fact, Kuro reminded Shiro of the little brother he had always prayed for as a child. Kuro was just like him except he was wild and carefree and never failed to light a warm fire under the rest of the ships inhabitants. If they had had the chance to grow up together Shiro is absolutely positive that he would have been the overprotective and obsessed big brother he’d never had the opportunity to be.

But they hadn’t grown up together. Kuro was an experiment of the galra empire designed to do great and terrible things for Zarkon himself.

Shiro did not trust him. He couldn’t. Every time that warm feeling Kuros fanged smile brought on tried to wiggle itself into his soft heart he’d have to bite down hard on the inside of his cheek. He fought back the fondness and the urge to join in with his light banter. Shiro resisted the easy love that tried to blossom in his chest and across his face when he would see his larger copy do something kind for one of his paladins. Kuro was easy to like and quick to smile. Shiro admired his ability to stay positive and his selflessly giving nature.

But…

There had to be at least one paladin of Voltron to stay cautious and alert around the still relatively new addition to their group. As leader, it was left up to him.

Kuro and Pidge where practically inseparable unless Kuro was with Lance. Hunk and Kuro had become good conversation buddies in their down time. Keith had been harder for his clone to win over because of their...err, shared history. But now they would team up for practice and Kuro, Keith and Shiro would meet up almost daily to do extra drills before bed.

It was nice. 

Kuro seemed to make time for everyone in the ship. He wasn’t on the best of terms with the alteans but with him being a galra creation Shiro had kind of expected that. All in all it was becoming more and more difficult to uphold the cold and clinical air he shouldered towards his clone and this unnerved him.

What if he chose to trust this man and that choice ultimately led to the death of all of these people he cared so much about?

Shiro knew Kuro was holding back. He saw his easy movements and the nonchalance he held towards the training that left the rest of them sweaty heaving wretches. Kuro might even be able to hold his own in a real fight against the princess.

The point being that Shiro wasn’t positive he’d be able to take the slightly larger man if it ever came down to it. There where so many what ifs and too much at stake.

‘…No. I can’t trust him.’ Shiro thinks to himself. He couldn’t afford to.

‘But.’ 

Shiro refocuses on the mock combat below. Watching as Kuro blocks strike after strike from his own treasured blade.

Kuro stopped them in different positions to point out how he had done something and walk the smaller man through the motions until Lance would say that he thought he had it down. 

They had been doing this for the past hour. Kuro letting Lance attack freely and occasionally grabbing the others wrist where it hit to gently correct, reposition and explain. They had bounced back and forth so that Lance had the chance to practice blocking similar attacks. Kuro occasionally swiping out at Lances legs during all of this to make sure the other kept his guard up and remembered the stepping patterns they had been working on together.

After watching for a few more minutes Shiro became lost in thought once more.

Shiro was weary of the relationship between the blue paladin and his clone. At first, he hadn’t been able to pinpoint the nasty feeling that swelled inside his chest when watching those clawed fingers slide over Lances body. But a couple days of bitterness at the thought made him realize with a start that it was a protective possessiveness.

Keith aside, Shiro viewed the other paladins as his personal charges. They were like family to him and he felt that he was responsible for their wellbeing. He wanted only what was best for them. They had already gone through so much; leaving Earth behind, possibly forever. They were all so good and brave and they had so much resting on their young shoulders. Shiro wasn’t much older himself but he had lived a life that insured he grew up mature beyond his years.

Shiro had absolutely zero romantic feelings towards Lance. This he was sure of. That didn’t change the feeling that he was his in a way. He was a person that Shiro wanted to protect at all costs as was every member of their rag tag team floating around up here in space.

With Kuro drooling over Lance and him not knowing or trusting his intentions towards the other man Shiro found these obsessively protective urges rearing up within him. He wasn’t okay with it for so many reasons. He was not convinced in the slightest bit that Kuro was good for Lance in any sort of intimate way.

Lance deserved better.

Hell, Keith deserved better! Neither of them was good enough for these other humans. Shiro knew he would die before he harmed any one of his teammates, but Kuro…Kuro was dangerous. He was…he was an unknown element and Shiro was scared dammit!

What would happen if they did get together? What would Kuro DO to Lance? Oh god he didn’t want to think about it. He knew Kuro had been with other men before. Violent alien men and it was the only experience he HAD! And the way he had tried coming on to him…He wanted-With Lance…

Shiro scratches his fingers furiously through his short black hair pushing away from the railing to pace the width of the track.

He wouldn’t think about it. He just had to make sure that it never happened. Lance was not mentally able to make those kinds of decisions for himself right now. What if he used Kuro as a replacement for Shiro himself?

This was one of Shiros biggest fears about the two. Kuro was nice now but what happened when he became jealous? What happened when Lance wasn’t ready to give him the things he so clearly wanted from the younger man? What would happen if Kuro…

Shiro breaks into a run again. He won’t think about it anymore. He would protect Lance. Less heartache and less potential for dangerous situations that way.

Shiro would make sure to keep Kuro at a respectful distance from the blue paladin he was so clearly falling for.

It was NOT going to happen. Not on his watch. Kuro was too wild, too…he was too much for the younger man to handle. Shiro just knew it.

 

~ Six weeks later ~

 

Kuro watches carefully as Lance and Keith fight through a vicious round of one on one. Its team practice again and Kuro can tell that this time is different somehow. Lance had been training hard with Kuro every morning for about two months now and all of this one on one was doing wonders for the blue paladin. He made progress each and every day and Kuro could not possibly be any prouder.

Lance is wholly concentrated on the task at hand, eyes hard, jaw set and breathing even. Where before he would stumble about self-consciously he now lashes out, blocks and swings through each movement with grace. The confidence he feels in himself radiating out from every smooth movement of skin over muscle and bone. Kuro’s honestly having a hard time looking out for mistakes and instead keeps catching himself just soaking up the gorgeous creature before him.

Kuro has only known him for a short amount of time, but he has no doubts that Lance is what the humans call an ‘angel’. He has to be one of those celestial beings that Kuro remembers hearing about in his bedtime stories. No human man could be this beautiful, this wonderful and amazing and he really just doesn’t possess the vocabulary to describe him or how he feels about him.

He’s never felt this way about anyone before. The dull distant memories of courting Keith back on Earth aren’t even the flicker of a candle in comparison to the roaring blaze of emotion that this blue boy has lit inside his chest. 

Kuro could die happy with Lance smiling at him. His laugh steels his breath away. Sometimes he gets lost in those deep blue eyes and has to be physically brought back to reality by the concerned paladin himself. It’s embarrassing and frustrating and it feels so damn good just being around him.

He wants so many things now. Things he doesn’t even know anything about. He wants to know everything about the other man. He wants to be privileged enough to hold him close to himself every day for the rest of his life. He just wants Lance.

And he can’t have him.

Lance is in love with someone else. Lance loves Shiro. Shiro the man that Kuro is made in the image of. Kuro is just a shadow of the real thing and Lance deserves better. He deserves better than just the scraps of another mans life. Kuro isn’t even a real human being. He was created, not born. He has never set foot on Earth. He has no connections to the world that Lance pines after.

So, he keeps his distance. Kuro has a new set of rules for himself and these rules like the last set are about self-preservation. He can be around him but not all day, he can dream but not hope and most importantly he can look but never touch. Practice was the only exception to these rules but even then his touch was impersonal and clinical in a way. He took Takashis demands and turned them into good advice. Keep it professional.

But Lance hadn’t seemed to get the memo. The little heartthrob was driving him absolutely crazy. The outfits, if possible, seemed to become tighter each day and the small touches lingered longer. A simple pat on the shoulder before had now turned into a suggestive slide of fingers across his collar bone and off the back of his arm as he walks past and Kuro can’t help but turn to watch him go.

He should remind himself that to Lance he is just a substitute. Just a dummy to take his pent-up frustrations at unrequited love out on. Kuro gets it; he wishes he had a distraction from the burning he has to choke down watching Lances face light up when Takashi says something nice, flashes a smile or even just enters the same room. Kuro has gone through unbelievable amounts of pain and come out stronger on the other side but this… Goddess this was different. He has never felt this kind of pain before. Its foreign and incessant and there is nothing he can do to soothe its wrath.

Coming here was a bad idea. Kuro misses that naivety of before. He wishes he can go back to where emotions were as pesky as flies and to be swatted away without a second thought. The galra where an easier race to live with even being as cruel as they were. Kuro can honestly say life was easier when he had lived everyday as Zarkons favored dog.

Kuro slides out of the way of the battling pair as they make their way across the floor in his direction and his attention drifts back to the task at hand. He is supposed to be paying attention to Lances fight. He watches for a few minutes, grin starting to edge across his face.

Lance is doing well. Kuro knew he sensed a different vibe coming off him today. Lance has the upper hand at this point and the whole team watches with baited breath as Lance pushes Keith back over and over. Kuro can smell the sour of aggravation bleeding into the red paladins sweat. Kuro can tell he is tiring and Lance apparently can too because he’s suddenly surging forward to press his advantage. He has more stamina and his lithe form allows him a greater range of movement. Keith is faster and stronger but this far into the game he’s reaching his limit and Lance still has more to give.

Lance feints to the left and in a flash, twists his blue sword at the grip to swing it around and force Keith into an awkward block on his right side. Lance pushes through the swing, shouldering into it with his whole body to send the red sword flying from its owners grasp.

Kuro’s chest swells and he can’t bite back the cheshire grin that consumes his entire face at that moment. Lance has disarmed Keith for the very first time. Keiths sword disintegrates into its original form to clatter across the floor on the other side of the room and the deck has gone completely silent.

Suddenly Lance spins around towards Kuro throwing his arms out wide at his sides and bending at the knees in his utter excitement. His eyes are wide and his mouth hangs open in the most astonished smile.

“DID YOU SEE THAT?!” He crows sprinting for Kuro through his gathering teammates trying to congratulate him.

“Amazing!” Kuro yells slinging his arms out wide and bracing himself as Lance jumps up into his waiting embrace. Kuro stumbles back with the impact, chuckling as Lance pushes up off his shoulders to smash a fist into the air and tosses his head back in a jubilant howl of victory. Kuro squeezes the ecstatic boys thighs tighter, spinning them around in a circle and tilting his head back to howl along with him.

“Eat that you mullet headed bastard!” Lance screams lunging forward to point a finger at a sweaty pouty Keith over Kuro’s shoulder.

“God Lance it’s one time. I don’t know what you did but it won’t work on me next ti-“

“You calling me a cheater mullet?!” Lance wiggles some and Kuro sets him back on his feet with just a little too much hesitance bleeding through. If he could just squeeze those thighs forever that would be nice. Lance marches around him and Kuro must fight the urge to reach out and reel him back in. He wants nothing more than to soothe his anger by crooning praises into the crook of his neck.

“I’ll take you on again right here right now! This time ill knock you on your stupid retro a-“

“BOYS!” Shiro jumps in. “Lance won fair and square Keith, deal with it. You can get him back next time.”

Lance crosses his arms mumbling an ‘as if’ before Shiro whirls on him with a hard look. Lance flushes some looking down at his feet and Shiro sighs stepping forward to pat him on the back.

“Nice job Lance. I’m really proud of you.”

Kuro tenses and turns away. He can’t stomach the starry-eyed look that he’s sure is plastered across Lances face. He is halfway out the door before a small hand slides around his metal bicep and gently pulls him to a stop.

“Hey, where are you going? We aren’t going to celebrate?” Lances face is drawn up with a little bit of hurt to his pout and Kuro looks over his shoulder at a frowning Shiro Lance has just left behind, the rest of the team chattering happily apart from Keith. Warmth blossoms through Kuros chest and just this once he breaks his own rules by grabbing Lances hand where it still rests on his upper arm. He pulls Lance to his left side with his human hand and threads their fingers together, smiling down at him softly.

“Yeah. We’ll celebrate. Anything you want Lance.”

Lance beams up at him, humming his approval and wiggling his fingers further into Kuros before clasping them firmly. Kuro melts a little, breathing Lances scent in deep to help calm himself down.

“Anything I want huh? I think I have a few ideas.” Lance flashes his devious half smirk, wiggling his eyebrows before turning to shout at the rest of the team.

“Shower up buttercups! We’re going clubbing!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about time we have some fun.


	15. Responsibilities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance wears something scandalous, Kuro's forced to be the space dad for a while, and Hunk is wise and all knowing.

Lance is so nervous his fingers shake as he picks up article of clothing after article of clothing, holding it in front of himself for Hunk to yay or nay.

It might have taken an arm and a leg but he had argued and shoved his way into getting this club night and Allura had finally broken down with a few gentle words from her fellow Altean. God bless Coran, that space uncle truly was a saint.

They were now on their way to some ‘Hot digs!’ according to Coran and, though skeptical, Lance was extremely excited. He hadn’t been dancing in so long and god did he miss it. Dancing had been something he loved back on Earth. It was a huge part of his culture and home life. Hunk and him had even taken hip hop lessons during high school and Lance wasn’t half bad. The tango would always remain his true specialty though.

Tonight he was going to dance for Kuro. Tonight he was going to dance WITH Kuro. He didn’t care if the other man knew how to or not. Lance would teach him just as he had taught Lance.

Kuro has been avoiding touching him sense that first lesson what feels like ages ago and Lance wants it. He needs to feel the tingly race of blood beneath his skin where Kuro’s fingers brush against him, he wants that hot breath ghosting down the back of his neck and needs to feel him pressed up against him.

Don’t get him wrong, Shiro was definitely still…Shiro. But lately Lance had been getting these urges. The larger and more rugged version was definitely a welcome distraction from his unrequited crush and Lance couldn’t help but catch his breath whenever those large warm hands slide around his waist to fix his stance in practice. Lance wasn’t too proud to admit that in his weaker moments he would purposefully step out of his memorized posturing just for a chance to feel those rough fingers and metallic claws squeeze around him; his sensitive muscles involuntarily tightening as they slipped away. He’d bite his lip as Kuro’s hot breath brushed against his ear when he murmured instructions, trying desperately to keep his knees from weakening.

Practice had become Lances favorite part of the day. He had truthfully felt incredibly attention starved since leaving earth. Lance was used to being in the spotlight. He had been the middle child of seven kids and his life had never been so empty of casual affection, unconditional love and platonic touch. Hunk was doing his best but even the big lovable teddy bear couldn’t give Lance everything he needed. Lance sometimes wishes that he could just fall for his best friend. Hunk would be the prefect boyfriend. He was strong, kind, caring, sweet and lovable. But Hunk was as good as a brother to Lance and he knew that the bigger boy was straight as an arrow.

Lance had been the class clown, the jack of all trades, the adorable flirt that could flash a smile and have the girls swooning and the boys stiffening in their pants. But out here he was just Lance the screw up. Lance the seventh wheel. Lance the pathetic home wrecker who had so stupidly fallen in love with a man he was pretty sure hated his guts most of the time. He was obnoxious and loud and a whiney homesick wreck with depression issues that he couldn’t even take his regular prescription for. He had been dragging the team down for such a long long time.

He knew he was weak. No one knew that better than he himself did. But Kuro… Kuro was making him better. Kuro was making him stronger. Kuro with his deep understanding golden eyes and easy fanged smiles and those adorable twitchy ears. Kuro who seemed genuinely charmed by Lances painfully stupid flirty pickup lines and awful puns.

The heat in the other mans gaze as he patiently waited for Lance to wind his body through his morning yoga was a welcome balm to his fitful nerves. The sly easy back and forth banter and playful gesturing seemed to brush the heavy darkness from his body as if the other had just taken a duster to his insides. Kuro was patient and sincere and Lance found his non-sugar coating to be a fresh breath of air that cut through all the regular bullshit of ‘you’ll get there’, and ‘you’re fine the way you are’s from the rest of the team.

Kuro didn’t bat an eyelash as he would pull Lance back to his feet and tell him to suck it up and go again and again and again. Kuro pushed him to his limits everyday and never gave up on him. Kuro had so much confidence in Lances ability to be more; to give more, and for Lance…that was the best feeling in the world. Having those wide earnest eyes fixed on him with no doubt that he could and would do it. It lit a fiery determination deep inside his belly. It fueled his shaking overexerted muscles and had him pushing for those few extra steps in a sequence and powering through for that extra quarter mile every morning on the track.

And the reward? Seeing that uncensored look of joy and pride break out across his burly teachers face like the sun peaking up to sparkle across the swells of the ocean he missed so terribly. To have all of that happiness washing over him; all of that childlike excitement and devotion fixated on him and him alone. It was intoxicating. Kuros attentions had become a sort of drug to Lances attention starved mind and body. He wanted more.

Kuro was all muscle and primal instinct and raw untapped emotion and when he didn’t have that stupid self-conscious mask plastered across his handsomely scarred face Lance swears he could live off the things his innocent expressions and pure reactions did to his heart.

He has a crush on Shiro yes, but Kuro…

Well this was an entirely different beast. Literally.

Yes, he wanted more. He was greedy and he knew it but that didn’t deter him. Lance made it his mission to get the other man to snap out of whatever had him hesitating. Whatever had his clawed hand stilling in the air, inches from his shoulder or his wrist or, Jesus Christ, his face. Lance let his long smooth fingers stray more frequently and with more confidence. He knew Kuro wanted him. Had known for a long time know. And he wanted it too. He wanted to indulge in his pent up sexual frustrations and turn to jelly in those big rough mismatched palms.

But the more time they spent together the softer Kuro became. The lust filled glazed over looks turned to mushy saddened glances and Lance had to resist the urge to pull his hair out at the roots and scream and demand to be told what the actual quiznacking problem was. No matter how much skin he showed or how tight the leggings he wore to practices where, Kuro still pulled away. It was as if the harder Lance tried the less he got. Kuro wasn’t making any sense. He just wanted him to touch him dammit! The most frustrating part to all of this was that Lance could see that he wanted to reach out to him. He would physically watch the larger man stutter to a stop every time Lance thought he had finally broken through his iron resolve. But Kuros extended digits never made it those last few inches.

Lance didn’t understand what was stopping him. What more could he do besides holding up a green light to get him to see that he wanted this too? Kuro was incredible. He was gentle and kind and strong and so brave. He had gone through so much pain and he had done horrible things, but so had Shiro. They had gone through the same sort of hell, except Shiro had come out sweet, loyal, emotionally scarred and hardened.

Kuro had come out with a passion towards the small things in life. You could make his day just by saying something nice or teaching him something new. He loved being around his own kind and didn’t hesitate in showing or voicing it. He was the sweetest, funniest dork Lance had ever met. The thing about Kuro was that he’s just happy to be alive.

Lance had been afraid of him at first. He had watched those gentle metal claws that slid over his own hands rip strangers into pieces as if tearing into a card board box. Lance had seen him shaking off bits and pieces of other people’s flesh like a dog from his own dripping bloody form and all the while with an impossibly wide toothy red grin. Lance had had nightmares of that manic laugh and those bright yellow eyes lost in frenzy. He had seen Kuro being Zarkons savage beast and it was horrifying.

Kuro was capable of so much bad.

Lance hadn’t seen any of it since waking up. In truth Kuro reminded Lance of a grateful rescued shelter animal. He wanted so badly to please everyone around him and when he wasn’t busy just being around his fellow humans he was lounging in the peace and quiet.

Lance had laughed and called him a lazy house cat after catching him napping in odd places more than once. Kuro had just cracked an eye and flipped him the bird with a sluggish smile saying that he’s never had the opportunity before and that he planned on taking full advantage.

It stung to realize that Kuro really hadn’t had any of this before. Life had been all about surviving in hostile territory and pleasing a sadist that had full control over his life. Kuro had free rein from what Lance could tell. Zarkon had liked Kuro after all. But common place things like being able to go all day without dreading the nights activities to come and being able to just relax for as long as he wanted where completely foreign to the clone. Going a day without having to soak off dried blood was a luxury for the man and it broke Lances heart to think of such an innocent soul forced into committing such atrocious crimes.

Lance learned to love the peaceful expression on Kuros dozing face and ferreting out all of his odd napping spots had become a sort of game for him. Kuro would sleep in high up windowsills or ledges, arms and legs sometimes dangling down over the twenty plus foot drops. It had taken about a week for him to not have a mini heart attack each time he saw it. Kuro loved to lay over the backs of the couches or in empty abandoned rooms of the castle. He explored everyday and sometimes Lance wouldn’t see him for hours at a time. It was fun discovering his new hiding places but Lances favorite spot that Kuro slept in was in his own hangar.

Keith had pointed it out to him a couple days after waking and it did funny things to his stomach whenever he caught the large man lazing atop Blues head. At the time Lance had turned to the smiling Keith and whispered, “He does this with all of them?” And Keiths eyes had just crinkled as he shook his head with a silent chuckle.

Lance sighs, belly deep. His feelings toward the other man where just a big confusing jumble. Was he doing the right thing by pushing forward? Maybe Kuro had just lost interest…

Hunk mimics his heavy sigh, having been ready to go in his orange hawaiian button down and khaki shorts ages ago. Lance knows that his friend wants to escape to the kitchen to start on dinner but he still has no clue what he’s going to wear.

“What exactly are you going for bud, because nothing you’ve shown me even matches.” Hunk gestures vaguely around Lances room at all the clothing that’s been tossed about.

“I don’t know…Irresistible I guess? I just want him to notice me Hunk.” Lance meets his friends eyes in the mirror and Hunk gives him a warm reassuring smile.

“Lance, my man, he notices you. Trust me. Kuro can’t keep his weird alien eyes off of you, the whole team sees it.”

“Yeah well...” Lance trails off with a grumble, walking back over to rummage through his overflowing wardrobe. He has so many clothes that he can’t even shut the dark wood doors properly. So why was this so fricken hard?!

“Huuuunk!” Lance moans storming over to flop across his best friends lap in a pathetic manner.

Hunk hums, moving the drooping boy from his lap so he can get up and pick through the piles of clothing, pulling out choice pieces now and then.

“Okay well you aren’t going to get ‘irresistible’ with blue jeans and baseball shirts bro. You just sit back I got this.”

Hunk Rummages through some of the lower drawers of clothing designated for the things Lance never wears. Lance sits up curiously on his messy bed, dragging a fluffy throw pillow into his lap to squish.

Finally Hunk finds what he’s looking for with and with an “AHAH!” and a flourish he shakes them out in front of a gasping astonished Lance.

“…Hunk, no.”

“Lance. Yes.”

“They still have the tags on them!”

“Exactly! Time to break these bad boys out and turn some heads.”

Lance slowly starts to smile snapping a hand up to snag the jean booty shorts Hunk has tossed at his head. He fingers over the distressed light wash material watching apprehensively as Hunk grumbles to himself, searching for a top to go with them.

Lance takes a deep breath; steeling his resolve as he makes up his mind for sure.

“Kuro’s going down.”

“Thaaaats the spirit. Pound it!” Hunk leans over bumping his fist against Lances smaller slightly lighter toned one and making an exploding sound as he pulls away.

 

~~~

 

Kuro isn’t sure what exactly they’re doing. He doesn’t remember Takashi ever going to a ‘club’ in the past and quite frankly he isn’t sure what to expect.

Lance had said that there would be music and dancing but Kuro doesn’t know how to dance. He’s never even had the opportunity to before and he’s sure none of them will know any of the music. What’s so fun about this anyway? He could be spending the night lazing about and snacking on Hunks interesting food concoctions. Instead he has been forced into some of his new clothing by Pidge and it’s not even the soft stretchy comfortable kind that he’s learned to fall in love with. The dark ‘jeans’ are scratchy and sit too low on his hips and they pull tightly across his butt and thighs. His shoes are small and lightweight with white laces and he isn’t used to them but he does like the dark grey coloring. His plain white t-shirt is something Lance picked out for him himself when they had taken him shopping on the trade planets and like almost everything he now owns it is slightly too small. Not as constricting as Shiro’s shirts had been on him though, so at least there’s that. His belt is completely useless with no pockets or weapon holsters. It is just a strip of brown leather that’s sole purpose is keeping his pants fastened to his hips, as if the tight material COULD slip down any.

Kuro fidgets about on his perch on the arm of a large couch in the rec room. He’s hungry and grouchy and the only ones they are waiting on at this point are Hunk and Lance.

“I’m getting some goo. By the time Hunk gets down here and in the kitchen it will already be time to go.” Pidge huffs jumping to her feet.

There is a general murmur of consensus from the rest of the crowd and everyone lines up with plates at the dispensers to get some of the nasty cold sludge that Kuro really truly hates with a passion. The slimy ‘food’ is by far the worst part of being on the ship. At least the galra had known the concept of cooking a hearty meal.

Kuro is just lifting his first bite of goo when Pidge slams a fist down on the table whistling out a loud cat call.

“Damn son!”

Kuro, slurping up the goo on his spoon, glances up to see what she’s talking about only to spit the green sludge out across the entire width of the table.

Lance saunters in, Hunk in tow and he looks GOOD. Kuro has never seen that much perfect coppery skin on display before and his eyes greedily roam up and down Lances exquisite figure, not knowing where to settle. His tiny light blue jean shorts match his light blue sneakers and are high waisted, stopping just below his navel with three brass buttons leading down his abdomen and the frayed edges hug tight around those perfectly toned supple thighs. His cropped tank top has BITE ME printed across the chest in bright shiny red lettering. Its tight, white and made of a very thin material that barely covers up all the good that’s going on underneath. The straps are thin and when Lance walks past Kuro spins in his seat to get a better view. The top half of the back is just a crisscrossing of those tiny straps and Kuros eyes flicker down to stare at his ass. Those shorts are so small he can almost see the edges of Lances butt cheeks and a tiny whimper escapes him before a sharp jab to the ribs forcefully grabs his attention.

Kuro glares rubbing the now sore spot as Pidge gives him her signature shitty grin snickering behind a hand.

‘BREATH!’ She mouths at him and Kuro flushes bright red turning to sit in his chair the right way. His wide yellow eyes glance around the table and he’s glad to see he isn’t the only one affected. Allura frowns some raising an eyebrow incredulously as her eyes stray to the side in Lances general direction, Takashi is, if possible, just as red as Kuro and he beats a fist into his chest coughing as if he’s chocking, Keith just looks mildly interested and Coran doesn’t bat an eye, choosing instead to continue his conversation with the suffering black paladin as if a skimpy Lance is just an everyday occurrence.

Lance walks by again with his full plate of goo to take a seat across the table from Kuro next to Keith.

“Lance?” Keith laughs as the boy plops down beside him with a pleased smirk.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” Lance says giving the Korean boy a disapproving once over.

“Uuuh, yeah. Is that what YOU’RE wearing?” Keith scoffs.

“Well yeah Keith we are going clubbing. This is pretty normal. Haven’t you ever been to a club before?”

“No.”

“Figures. I have something you can wear back in my room, it should be really cute on you!” Lance winks leaning closer to nudge his shoulder with his own.

“Oh hell no. Im not wearing that sorta get up, nuh uh.” Keith pales instantly, scooting away from the scantily clad blue paladin.

Lances eyes slide up to catch Kuro staring open mouthed and he snaps his jaw shut with a click dropping his eyes to his forgotten plate of goo, face growing ever hotter.

“So, we eat and go right?” Hunk jumps in breaking the slightly charged air at the table. He sits down beside Kuro patting the poor guy on the shoulder as he settles in.

“Yes, that is the plan! Lucky for us we’ve already formed a good relationship with this planet last year so no political meetings will be necessary this time. You youngsters go have some fun! The princess and I will take care of greeting the Queen and her court and watching over the ship. Just make sure to radio in if anything gets hairy down there. This is a pretty peaceful planet though so we are not expecting any hostility from the locals!” Coran stands then pulling out a couple different colored bands before passing them out. Black for Shiro, red for Keith, yellow for Hunk, green for Pidge and blue for Lance.

“Sorry chap!” Coran says slapping a hand down on the distracted clones shoulder and making him jump in his seat. “Had these tracker transmitters made before we found you! But I will make sure to make one for you in the future. In the meantime, stick close to the rest and you should be fine!” Kuro obviously having no clue what’s going on nods along dumbly before dropping his eyes back down to his still full plate of goo.

Lance frowns a little worriedly but doesn’t say anything. Maybe wearing this outfit wasn’t the best idea after all. Kuro doesn’t seem to like it very much. In fact, he has been avoiding looking at him since they made eye contact when he first sat down.

 

In the end Kuro can’t force down a single bite and Lance does manage to wrangle Keith into something besides his everyday clothes. Shiro certainly appreciates it. The loose flowy black crop top shows of Keiths creamy skin and hard muscled abdomen and the ripped up black skinny jeans hug tight to his thick thighs. Lance even talked him into tying a red plaid shirt around his waist and all together he has to give the moody boy credit. He’s hot. Or hotter than usual he should say.

‘Not as sexy as Lance though.’ He muses, eyes sliding to the bubbly blue paladin for the hundredth time in the last hour.

They land on the planet, sticking around long enough to hopefully not seem rude before Pidge is leading them through the pact streets of the capitol towards the coordinates that Coran had put in her tracker. There is a rowdy night life vibe to everything and more than one hand snakes out to slide along the forms of the rare human visitors. Kuro snags a tentacle making its way for Lances ass and tugs the slug like creature closer snapping his fangs in the things face before flinging it away.

He is NOT happy.

There are too many eyes on his pretty blue boy and he can feel his hackles rising as he stiffly crowds in behind Lance, glaring and flashing teeth whenever anyone sidles up too close to the young man. Lance is, as usual, completely oblivious and Kuro is sure that the stress is going to eat holes right through his stomach lining.

Pidge gives a squawk of protest somewhere ahead of them and Kuro glances around noticing that he and Lance have somehow gotten lost in the crowd. Pidge cries out again and Kuro snaps to attention, ears flicking to try and pin point her location.

“Ah!” He gasps scooping Lance up around the waist and shoving through the crowd to snatch Pidge away from a scaly red lizard man. The guy doesn’t want to let go of the kicking and hissing girl and Kuro’s temper is wearing thin. In a flash he slices clean through the mans wrist, ruining his pristine shirt with a spray of black blood, and tosses the girl over his shoulder to high tail it away from the bellowing creature before anybody can figure out what’s going on. Lance doesn’t say anything as he burrows closer into Kuros chest face blank and Kuro begins to sweat.

“Shit.” He mumbles, craning to get a good look above the masses. He can’t see Takashi anywhere. He turns in a circle squeezing the two humans close to his sides to keep them from slipping away again. There must be at least one of every kind of alien in the universe here and Kuro is LOST.

“Pidge where do we go!” Kuro growls, shoving a gooey appendage away from a now whimpering Lance.

“That way!” She points, and Kuro is pushing through the hoards once more trying not to accidentally cut into the thin strip of exposed flesh on Lances side with his metal claws.

It takes them roughly twenty minutes to get where they’re going and Kuro is panting, white shirt soaked through with sweat.

“This was the worst idea ever.” He snarls, pushing Lance and Pidge past the man at the door and into the much quieter atmosphere of the ‘club’ Coran had suggested. Lance gives him a sheepish smile latching back onto his right arm, thoroughly cowed by the city at this point.

Together the three glance around the dimly lit room with its flashing multi colored lights and notice the jelly like walls between the dance floors and the drinking areas. Pidge weaves through the crowd to get a better look, slipping a hand past the jiggly barrier before stepping in completely and slamming her hands over her ears. She jumps back out grinning widely.

“Sound barriers!” She squeals and Lances eyes light up. He lets go of Kuros arm and goes to push through to the other side. Kuro grabs his hand yanking him back with a frustrated huff. He snags Pidge to, for good measure and pulls them along to the bar.

“We are getting drinks and a table and no one’s going anywhere until we track down the rest of the group.” He growls out in what he’s hoping to be a no-nonsense tone. Kuro decides that he hates being the responsible one and he concludes that if he had been in Takashis shoes when he had become Black paladin he might just have opted out all together and tossed himself out an airlock. No wonder the mans always got a stick up his bum.

Lance takes one look at the grouchy clones face and slides up under his arm.

“Drinks sound nice, I’m really thirsty.”

“Yeah, in more ways than one.” Pidge quips, pulling free of Kuros hold to hop up on a barstool and ducking out of the way of Lances arm as he tries to grab ahold of her head.

Kuro lets Lance take the only open seat beside her and stands protectively behind the two as they wait to be served. When they do finally get their drinks, non-alcoholic for Pidge Kuro makes sure, he slides a couple glowing purple squares across the counter and the bartenders red eyes widen, flicking up to meet his.

“I have three more friends coming in soon. All the same species. This should cover our drinks and any food for the rest of the night, right?” Kuro leans over the bar to say as inconspicuously as he can.

“Yes sir.” The man nods swiping a paw across the coins to whisk them out of sight.

Kuro nods, satisfied with the answer and grabs his own drink before scanning the edges of the room for an available booth.

“There!” Lance points and Kuros bright eyes flick to the corner he’s pointed out. The booth fills the whole area and it should be plenty big enough for the lot of them. Kuro nods again, ushering them ahead of himself to sit in the space before sliding in after Lance. He looks around cautiously, searching the area for their missing members before leaning down to tell them to stay put. That he’ll be back in ten minutes tops with the rest of them and not to get up from their seat.

The pair exchanges a look before meekly agreeing to stay put and Kuro slips away and out into the hustle of the party going streets.

It takes Kuro roughly thirty minutes to track down the other three humans and wrangle them back to the club he’s left Pidge and Lance in. By the time he gets there he is mentally exhausted. He sets them loose, gestures vaguely in the direction of their table and marches over to the bar ordering the strongest drink they have. When he finally wraps his clawed fist around the icy beverage he lets out a big lung full of air, letting himself relax some.

He tosses the glass back chugging it all down and slumping against the counter for a few minutes. Disgusting. He pushes up and orders one more of the same to bring back to their table. Only, when he turns to make his way back he sees that Lance and Pidge aren’t THERE…

“SHIT!” Kuro nocks back the second drink before slamming it down on a nearby table, choosing to ignore the nasty comments he receives from its occupants.

He finds Pidge first, more than a little tipsy and trying in vain to ward off a flirty large female hovering over her in a dark corner of the club. Kuro shoves past, snatching her up by the scruff of her jacket and giving her a little shake.

“What did I tell you? How much did you drink? And where is Lance?” He seethes as he pushes the giggling girl ahead of him, navigating her in the direction of her real caretaker.

“Well yooouuu said ten minutes!” Pidge snorts reaching back over her shoulder to poke Kuro in the chest.

“Takashi, take this before I shove my foot up her snarky tail!” Kuro snaps, eyebrows furrowed as he plops the squealing teen down into Shiros lap at the table. Keith takes one disgusted look and grunts out an “I’m getting a beer.” Before sliding out and scurrying away to the bar.

“Pidge! Are-Are you DRUNK?!” Shiros surprise quickly melts away to a thunderous disapproval and Kuro feels a million times better with that weight of responsibility lifted from his shoulders.

“How could you let her get like this?! She’s sixteen Kuro, she shouldn’t even be here!” Shiro glares at Kuro trying to wrestle the small girl into a seat beside him.

“WHAT?! I didn’t let her do anything Takashi! I was out chasing your sorry ass through the slums of alien prostitute city! You’re the leader! How could YOU let her get like this?”

Shiro chooses to switch directions. “Where’s Lance?” He asks with narrowed eyes.

“I dooon’t knooow!” Kuro yells exasperatedly, gesturing wildly with his arms. The alcohol is quickly kicking in and he just doesn’t have the strength of will to be the mature one of the two.

Shiro puffs up immediately. “Well-“

“Guys! GUYS!” Hunk interrupts, waving a large brown hand between them.

“What?!” They snap in unison, both quickly reaching the end of their patience.

Hunk holds out his hands a knowing grin making its way across his face. “We are in a club.”

Kuro and Shiro wait for him to continue, exchanging confused glances before looking back at the smiling man.

“Yeah…” They begin, glaring at each other for mirroring what they’re saying.

“And Lance is a latino boy deprived of his party going lifestyle and now surrounded by pretty ladies and what looks to be an otherworldly version of a disco ball over there.” Hunk continues, taking a sip of some random drink on the table and nodding in the general direction of the nearest dance floor.

Hunk watches with satisfaction as two ticks go by. Then their eyes light with understanding. It truly is comical sometimes how alike the two are. They are even dressed alike besides the contrasting black and white of their shirts.

“…He’s dancing.” Kuro realizes, standing up straight and wide eyed to scan the floor for the missing object of his affections.

“Yeah, that’s where I’d put my money. Speaking of which how are we paying for all of this?” Hunk asks swirling the dark amber liquid in his glass and raising an eyebrow at Shiro.

“Don’t worry about it I have it covered. The bartender will give you anything you want when you go up. Try not to drink too much though, some of this stuff will give you the worst hangover of your life.” Kuro doesn’t bother to look at him as he speaks instead continuing his search for the blue paladin.

“What do you mean you have it covered?” Shiro asks suspiciously and Kuro frowns down at him in annoyance.

“I had quite a bit of gambling money tucked away in my belt when you stole me. Just accept it and be grateful. I’m going to find Lance.”

Kuro ignores Takashis grumbling and Pidges drunken laughter as he pushes back out into the crowd.

“Where have you gotten to now little blue…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There shall be touchy touchy next chapter. I just didnt want to make this one too long. Leaves me more room to go into detail that way. ;])


	16. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance: We aren’t really just going to sit here and wait, are we?
> 
> Pidge: Who do you think you’re talking too?
> 
> Things might be getting a liitle frisky ya'll! ;)
> 
> Hold on to your diapers babies, we're going in! ~Wise words of Tommy Pickles
> 
> Let me just add that Imagine dragons' album Evolve is solely resposible for finally getting this ch written out. Rise up is my new favorite song by them. :])

It didn’t take long for Kuro to find Lance. He was a force to be reckoned with and obviously in his element. He was magnetic. He was gorgeous.

Looking around from the dark nook he now leans in Kuro can tell he isn’t the only one watching either. Kuro cannot hear the music he dances to from this side of the barrier, but it doesn’t matter. Lance is breathtaking. He whirls a tiny pink and brown feathered girl around and around, sweeping them across the second dancefloor in a fierce flurry of dips and twists; leaping and swaying and prancing his way through a complicated version of what Kuro is assuming to be one of the Tangos he had been gushing about earlier in the night.

Kuro can tell Lance is laughing from where he lays in wait. His skin glistens with a thin sheen of sweat like a million microscopic jewels under the ever shifting colored lights above. Kuro watches as he swings about, eyes closed and chest heaving with exhilarated gasps for air.

Lance looks alive.

Kuro doesn’t recall a time in the last two months where he had seemed even half as euphoric as he does now.

When his searching gaze had first landed on the bounding free spirited boy out there in the crowd of roiling bodies he had involuntarily slowed to a complete stand still. Lance was captivating. Everyday. But more so now. You could see the raw emotion and passion for what his body was doing in every line and fiber of his being. He was so so beautiful. It was this moment surrounded by shuffling and jostling bodies, staring out into the crowd at the very first human he had ever encountered, that Kuro realized he was in love.

The realization washed over his head with the kind of finality of a last nail in a coffin. Really he should have figured it out long ago. How long had he been in love with this human boy?

His blue boy.

Kuro cannot for the life of him pinpoint the exact moment. Was there ever an exact moment when it came to these kinds of things? Could it have been one of the many mornings he had stumbled in rubbing sleep from his eyes and scratching through his mused hair? Had it been watching him absently flip a coin over the backs of his knuckles as he drifted in and out of focus during group strategy meetings? Had it been on one of the numerous occasions that he had come upon the other man speaking softly in spanish to his momma back on earth when he thought no one else was still awake? Or had he fallen for one of the hundreds of bright peels of laughter or snorting guffaws? Had it been that dumb face mask? The blue lion slippers? The endearing and distinctly human flirtations? The constellations of freckles across the tops of his shoulders? That one mole behind his right ear? That barely noticeable scar on his left thumb?

Maybe it had been his eyes that very first day.

Maybe it had been all of it.

The fact remained that Kuro had fallen and fallen hard.

The problem being, as always, that Lance didn’t feel the same way. Maybe that was the reason it had taken so long for Kuros brain to piece it all together. Some instinctual level of self-preservation trying to stave off the inevitable enlightenment.

Love sucked. Love was pain. Love was a pain in Kuros ASS! How did this happen?! Stupid human emotions. Stupid human heart. Stupid Takashi Shirogane. Stupid STUPID him!

Kuro wishes he could reach a hand between his ribs and just scoop it all out. Like the guts in the pumpkins Takashi had carved as a little boy. He wishes he could write them all out on a sheet of paper and ball them up and toss them in a rubbish bin to rot. He hated it. Hated how weak he felt. How he had no control over his mind, body and soul. Give him lashes. Give him bloodied lips and black eyes and ripped flesh. Give him broken bones and a blade to the gut. He would take it all in exchange for the torture that was this unrequited BULLSHIT.

The worst part of it all was that he had no one to blame but himself. It wasn’t Lances fault that he was utter perfection incarnate. It wasn’t even Takashis fault for being human and lovable.

Kuro sits and stews and watches as his heart races along with the boy of his dreams. Goddess bless… What was he going to do?

Kuro shrugs away from the wall ripping his hardened gold eyes from the dancing human and flicking his bangs from the bridge of his nose to stalk across the length of the room. His destination? That glorious glowing oasis of booze called the bar. He was going to drink. Drink like a fucking merman. Drink it all away. Maybe if he got hammered enough the toxic liquids would burn these feelings off his insides for him to piss away later. He could only hope right?

Kuro watches Lance from his new place at the bar. The more shots he takes the more enraptured he becomes. His body grows numb and tingly and soon the hurt is being washed away with a tide of longing. He wants to lick the sweat from the long dark column of Lances neck, wants to sink his teeth into that sweet smelling flesh, and taste the blood that wells. It had been such a long long time since Kuro had run his rough tongue up the bloodied side of his paladins face. Such a long time since that first taste and even then it had been tainted and old. Dried and crusty. What would it be like to lap straight from the source? To feel that life filled tingling hot gush roll over his tongue and down the back of his throat as he marked him for the whole world to see?

His fingers twitch with the need to take a hold of that thin waist. He wants to push the smaller man down and lay claim to that flawless freckle dusted skin. Wants to make Lance understand that he belongs to him and him alone.

But…no. That isn’t right.

Kuro wants Lance to WANT to belong to him. Kuro wants to win his heart. Wants to look into his ocean blue eyes and see the strength of his own love reflected back to him. And that’s not going to happen with him sitting here on his ass getting waisted.

Kuro swallows down the last bitter gulps of his thick inky black drink as he watches Lance being drug away to a more lively floor by a new dance partner. The guy is humongous; at least seven feet tall with a red braid falling down the length of his back, head otherwise shaved. He has a mouth full of rows of pointy needle like teeth and hands that swallow up the entirety of Lances midriff, overlapping at the knuckles. Kuro isn’t having it. Over his dead fucking body.

On the outside he appears calm but the shattered glass he leaves behind on the bar says otherwise as he slides down from his perch, stalking forward through the dim lit crowded room.

 

~~~

 

Lance is having the time of his life!

Or at least that’s what the alcohol buzzing through his veins seemed to be telling him. He is hot all over, muscles warm and liquid and so easy to move under the influence of the strange alien spirits coursing through his body.

The smells are amazing, the lights bright, vivid and shining in more colors than he had ever even realized existed, the people push in all around him, driving his body temperature up, up, up. There are large heavy rough hands on his waist and the pleased foreign rumblings of another races tongue being growled into his small ear as he bodily shivers, grinding back into the coldblooded body behind him. He lifts his hands high above his head rocking to the strange pulsing beat of the music.

The DJ is amazing and the music is unlike anything he’s ever heard in his life. It has his blood boiling and his body working to keep up with the rise and fall in tempo. It seems to bubble up from the slightly springy floor beneath his feet; surround sound at its advanced alien tech finest. The bass is so violent when it drops that it feels as if it’s sucked every molecule of air from the room, leaving him breathless and panting as he rolls back into the rock solid body of the tall stranger at his back.

All of a sudden there is a blaze of purple and white to his left and a sharp bark of sound over his shoulder. The guy he’d been dancing with is knocked to the side and takes a few steps back with an apologetic smile as he waves his hand before him. He seems to be apologizing for something but his gaze isn’t fixed on Lance. He’s looking at someone behind him.

Lance is confused. Smaller warmer hands than the ones before wrap around his arms and he’s being spun around and pulled close to a very pissy looking Kuro who’s still snarling at the man Lance had just been dancing with.

Lance laughs delighted, eyes lighting up as he reaches to place his arms around the clones neck, pulling him down some to get his attention.

“Hello handsome! You come here often?!” Lance shouts above the music.

Kuros eyes flash down to his face once he’s satisfied that the larger male has officially taken his leave. His grip slides down Lances sides settling low on his waist as something feral and possessive flashes in his glowing eyes and Lance realizes with a start that the mans more than a little on the wild side tonight. He hasn’t seen this side of his newfound friend since he had first met him in Zarkons audience chamber what feels like forever ago.

Normally Lance might have been frightened by the change. But now? With all his bad decisions swirling around in his gut and muddying up his thinking process and rationality it instead does naughty things to his insides. Belly filling up with butterflies.

Kuro flashes a toothy grin and even if it is too loud in the room for him to hear it he can FEEL the suggestive growl rumble through the larger mans body as his eyes narrow and his hot hands become almost bruising on Lances hips. He pulls Lance in tight to his wonderfully muscled chest, leaning down to yell in his ear over the music.

“No! But for you I just might!” Kuro’s nose pushes up under Lances jaw and Lance gasps at the wet heat of a raspy tongue flashing out to taste his sweat slick skin. His hands scramble for purchase, settling with grabbing ahold of Kuros shirt and suddenly he’s being spun around once more. Lance stumbles forward a step before Kuros rough grip drags him back, butt flush to hips.

“Dance for me little blue!” Kuro nips at the top of his shoulder and Lance gasps arms coming up once more to reach for Kuros neck over his shoulders as his whole body shudders. He locks his fingers tightly together behind Kuros head to keep his balance as he leans his own head back to rest against him.

Lances hips start moving and Kuro squeezes over them encouragingly, letting Lance roll back against him. Kuro starts swaying them to the beat of the music and Lance can feel him inhaling deeply as he nuzzles his face into the crook of his neck.

Soon they’re laughing as Lance shows Kuro how to spin him out and pull him back in. He shows him how to shuffle his feet around in an upbeat two-step and other simple and easy to do dances. Kuro of course picks them up almost on the very first try and within a couple of songs he’s moving Lance around the dance floor like he’s been doing it his whole life, improvising like a pro.

‘Don’t know how to dance my ASS.’ Lance scoffs to himself as Kuro catches him off guard by bending him over backward, bodies almost flush to the ground as he bends at the knees grinding down into Lances stunned body before spinning him back to his feet and luring him into another kind of dance all together. The highly erotic kind. Lance thinks that this is what dancing is really supposed to be about. His older brother had always jokingly said that you weren’t doing it right if it didn’t look and feel like you were having sex with your clothes on. God was he ever right.

Kuro was good, oh so good, and Lances body is set ablaze with every breath huffed out against him, every drag of fingers against his over sensitive flushed skin, every push of a thick muscled thigh against his own weak-kneed legs. Lance lets him lead, giving himself over for a while to just bask in how amazing it feels to have Kuro man handling him after all of this time desperately trying to get him to give him just this. His touch.

Lance leans back into those strong arms wrapped so greedily around his waist and Kuro catches his eye a wicked half smile pulling at the corner of his mouth enough for the flash of bright white fangs to peak through. Lances heart stutters in his chest and he can feel the blood pooling in his cheeks and maybe a bit in other places as well. Kuro places a simple chaste kiss to his exposed collar bone and all of a sudden Lances knees give out beneath him head spinning like a top. Is he whimpering? He can’t tell over the vibrating music in his eardrums. Lances head lolls over Kuros arm that’s slid up farther to better support his dead weight and Lance can feel the laughter shaking the smug man hovering over him.

“You wanna get a drink?” Kuro shouts down to him, smile as bright as the sun and eyes crinkled up in that maddeningly cute way with his amusement. Lance huffs out an overwhelmed breath as he shakily smiles back up at the gorgeous man above him. He nods his head as best he can trying to pull himself back to his feet.

Kuro holds onto him until he’s mostly sure the other man wont collapse and then Lance is being half led, half carried off the dance floor. Kuro brings them up to the same bartender they had first talked to earlier in the night. When they get their drinks Kuro slings an arm around Lance and gently guides him back towards the groups table to rest and catch their breath.

“You two look like you’re having fun.” Hunk cheeses at them with narrowed ‘I know everything’ eyes.

Pidge snorts and raises an eyebrow taking a swig of a rainbow filled cup. “Hunk they were just dry humping on the dance floor of course they’re having fun.”

Kuro chuckles, extending his hand to help a blushing Lance slide into the booth beside Pidge. Kuro slides in close beside him, settling his arm on the back of the booth behind Lances shoulders.

Lance chooses not to comment on that, instead asking after Shiro and Keith.

“They’re over there learning this planets version of darts and pool. Did you wanna go check it out?” Hunk asks and Lance shakes his head as he gulps down the smooth ice cold fizzy drink Kuro had ordered for him, trying desperately to quench the thirst he’s worked up.

“You sure? I think I saw some alien beer pong! We could kick some ass like we used to back in our hay days.” Hunk chuckles.

Pidge perks up at that. “I’m so down! Lance is gonna have to find a new partner if he’s interested, I’m calling you big guy! Come on lets go!”

They all laugh as Pidge crawls over Lance and Kuro to hop down to the floor, dragging Hunk away through the crowd after Lance assures him that he just needs a breather right now.

Lance sighs out deep the new drink bringing back that pleasant slightly fuzzy buzz he had worked off earlier. Kuro’s arm comes down to pull him into his side and Lance melts as the big man pushes his nose into the crook of his neck once more to inhale deeply.

“Why do you do that?” Lance murmurs, eyes slipping closed as he tilts his head to the side to allow better access.

Kuro hums as he runs the tip of his straight nose up the line of Lances neck, breathing his answer out against the shell of Lances ear. “Because you always smell so divine. Unlike anything I’ve ever known before. It drives me crazy to be this close to you.”

Kuro leaves a small kiss behind Lances ear and Lance moans softly, butterflies taking flight in his belly again.

“You’re drunk.” He states and Kuro pulls back a bit appalled at the accusation.

They stare at each other for a moment before breaking down into giggles.

“Yeah, I might be. But that doesn’t change my nose you know. Or my feelings.” Kuro says fondly once he’s gotten himself back under control.

“Feelings?” Lance breathes, something he doesn’t want to name sparking to life warm and light in the cage of his ribs.

Kuro purrs in answering pulling Lance back in to rest his chin against the top of his head.

“Hey guys.” Shiro chirps, with a happy smile plastered over his red face. His eyes are a little unfocused and Lance laughs as he trips over the ledge leading up to the sitting area; Keith cussing as he throws his shoulder underneath his boyfriend to keep him from crashing to the ground.

“A fucking mess. The lot of you.” Keith growls as he dumps their leader into the empty side of the booth, choosing instead to drag over a chair for himself. He flops down in it crossing his arms and legs as he grouches and grumbles.

“Baaaabyyyyy.” Shiro coos, sitting up to pout at the clearly sober hot head.

“Don’t you ‘baby’ me you old worthless drunk!” Keith snaps eyebrows furrowed and teeth showing.

Shiro sighs, a loving little smirk settling in place. Lance can practically see the hearts in his eyes, and for once it doesn’t bother him at all. The feeling had been slowly fading for weeks now and it’s a relief. He finally feels moderately happy once more.

“Who pissed in your cheerios?!” Lance puffs up, alcohol making him jump to Shiros defense.

Kuro stiffens beside him and Lance leans forward onto his elbows, glaring at the rude emo asshole. Keith and him are friends but sometimes that attitude just rubs Lance the wrong way.

“He’s just upset that we lost-“

“YOU lost! Three times! I had it dammit all! We would’ve won if you hadnt’ve been knocking back hootch all night long!” Keith snaps, jumping to his feet to get another beer from the bar.

Shiro just chuckles as he leans back to wait.

“Whats ‘Hootch’?” Kuro asks, unfamiliar with the human word.

“It’s Keiths cowboy ass term for drinks.” Lance snorts, rolling his eyes and leaning back into Kuros side.

“Ahh. Speaking of which,” Kuro takes a big gulp of his steaming black filled glass, and Lance crinkles his nose some at the oily looking substance. “I didn’t think you drank anymore Takashi.” Kuro teases, wagging his eyebrows at his original across the table.

Shiro gives him a lazy grin, middle finger raising as he mouths a ‘fuck off’ at his clone. Kuro bursts into laughter and Shiro chuckles along bending at the waist and swaying some.

“But seriously, it feels nice to finally get a chance to let loose. The pressure lately s’been exhausting. I’m too young for all this. Soon my whole head will go white.” Shiro finishes up as Keith walks back, seeming to have calmed some as he sets a pitcher in the middle of the table along with a couple of stacked glasses.

Shiro pulls him into his lap after Keith pours them each a glass and Lance watches as the grumpy teen relents and lets his lover pepper small apologetic kisses across the bridge of his nose, visibly relaxing into the larger mans embrace.

Lance sighs and Kuro turns his head to look down at him inquisitively, taking in the look of longing as he snuggles back into his side sucking down a big swig from his already almost empty glass.

“You okay?” He murmurs, and Lance glances up, resting his glass against his chest as he slouches farther into the warm body holding him up. Kuros eyes are soft and sad and Lance foggily thinks that he could kiss that hurt away if only the older man would let him. What was he upset about anyway?

“Yeah. I’m fine.” And for once in what feels like ages, Lance actually means it. “Tonight’s been really nice so far. Thank you Kuro.”

 

~~~

 

Kuros dark mood from the beginning of the night has been completely forgotten. Burned away by the liquor and the soothing hands of his pretty little blue boy. He sits with the whole team, watching contently as Keith and Shiro whisper to each other in the corner and Hunk and Pidge chat animatedly and get into childish silly face battles that have the rest of them howling and teasing. Lance never leaves his side and with the ever flowing drinks that come and go from their table the cuban boy seems to relax further into his usual touchy flirty self. Lances face and upper chest have flushed a lovely shade of rosy pink and Kuro finds his thumb stroking absently over the top of those well-defined shoulders; his ambitions giving way to the glow building up inside him.

He’s warm and content and only realizes that he might be falling into a slight doze when the backs of slim fingers brush across the high rise of his cheek bone, gently rousing him from his drifting state.

Kuro blinks, looking around to find that they are once again alone and Lance smiles up at him softly, an obvious glaze to his deep blue eyes.

“Dance with me again?” He inquires airily.

Kuro nods along. It’s not even a question of yes or no at this point. Kuro would do anything this man wanted him to do, just so long as he could continue to hold him against himself and stare at those long chocolate lashes and that dainty little upturned nose and those blindingly bright smiles.

Lance climbs into his lap, straddling his thicker waist for a tick and Kuros eyes shoot wide. His hands falling slack with shock for the span of a heartbeat before Lance is sliding to the floor on his other side and threading his fingers through Kuros calloused ones to gently pull him to his own feet.

Kuro stumbles after the backing boy, eyes never straying from the teasing ones before him. He just wants to hoist him up and whisk him away to somewhere safe, quiet and most importantly, private. Somewhere he can run his scarred hands down the length of that slender muscled body and tell him how wonderful he is; how gorgeous and perfect he is. But instead he settles for Lance playfully pulling him towards one of those jelly walls.

Lance smiles up at him as they pass back into the dance floor that they had used earlier. The music slowly starts to fade into a different song and Lance lets go of Kuros hand to run his own hands through his hair, body slowly starting to sway from side to side. Kuro stands frozen as the tempo picks up and Lance lets his eyes fall shut, tilting his chin back slightly and rocking his hips to the sound of the music. Lances long fingered hands run down the sides of his neck and over his collarbone to spread wide across his chest and Kuros breath catches in his throat as he tries to keep a level head. Lances body dips and rolls in time with the drops and rises and Kuro’s jaw hangs slightly slack as Lance slinks to the floor before him, dragging his hands down the length of Kuros body and over and up the insides of his own naked thighs throwing an arm out behind himself to thrust his hips up with a twist.

Kuro swallows hard, fingers itching to touch. Lance cracks an eye open to gaze up at him, slowly licking his tongue out to run over his top lip before he bites the bottom one and sucks it into his mouth while arching his back, crop top riding dangerously high. Kuro’s limited self control snaps and with a growl he’s yanking the smug cuban boy up into his arms and gripping his waist tight, pressing their chests close as he leans in to inhale the intoxicating scent of Lances sweat and arousal.

The alcohol on his lips smells divine and for a wild moment Kuro wonders what it would taste like if he just gave in and licked into that smirking mouth. But then the small part of his brain still holding on to reason kicks in to wave a red flag. He has to draw the line somewhere and Kuro knows that his heart won’t be able to take the rejection tomorrow after getting a taste of Lances now. Just the idea of it has something squeezing painfully inside of him and he groans nuzzling farther into the crook of this perfect boys neck.

“You gonna dance with me or are you just going to stand and watch?!” Lance hollers and after that Kuro lets this angelic human take over for the rest of the night. He follows along, dancing his heart out and watching in awe as Lance uses his body like a glorified pole; working him over like a dog chewing a bone.

‘Goddess help me.’ Kuro prays some time later, trying in vain to keep some semblance of calm as Lance pushes him against the wall with a firm hand to his sternum, turning to shimmy his backside down Kuros front all the way to a crouch on the floor where he spreads his legs wide and brings both hands down to slap red hand prints into the inside of his thighs. He arches his butt back up, pushing against him, front half still bent to the floor where he turns to look over his shoulder as he grinds against the hyperventilating man behind him.

“Holly SHIT!” Kuro breaks, bucking forward instinctually as he desperately drags Lance back up into his arms, turning him to face his front and hitching one of those long dangerously tempting legs up over his hip. He pulls his face forward with a firm grip on the back of his neck. Kuro pushes their foreheads together grinding in a rythymatic pace that Lance sets in time with the music.

Lance worries his lower lip between his teeth, eyes shut tight and face screwed up in his arousal. If Kuro isn’t drunk off the alcohol he’s definitely drunk off of Lances thick cloying and needy smell.

Lance opens his eyes hands coming up to frame Kuros face as he stretches up on his one standing leg, reaching…

Kuro closes his eyes, leaning down slightly before jumping about a foot in the air when a nasty little kick connects bruisingly with his shin.

Kuro hisses, subconsciously smothering Lance into his chest as he glares down at the undetected threat.

Pidge.

“You little shi-“

“We’re leaving! Coran radioed in to tell us to get our butts back to the castle and get some rest before we have to leave tomorrow!” She screams over the music.

Lance melts against him with a sad little pout and Kuro sighs nodding his head to let her know they understand. Pidge gives him an evil little grin before skipping away to be swallowed up by the sea of bodies.

“One more drink for the road?” Lance yells and Kuro blinks. He cracks up.

“Yeah! You’re on blue boy!”

They grab their drinks and make a break for the exit, stealthily sneaking the glasses past the doormen and out into the street with their waiting posse.

Shiro rubs at his eye before yawning and counting the groups numbers.

“Right. Let’s go home team. Everyone hold hands, I don’t want a repeat of last time.”

They make it back in one piece this time, despite Keiths vehement complaining about having to hold hands with everyone like a preschooler.

The team barely sticks around long enough to say their goodbyes before they’re stumbling off in their respective directions. Lance, Hunk and Kuro head down the same hall and then a slurring Hunk is branching off towards his own corridors, leaving Lance and Kuro to weave their way forward through the darkened hallway.

“Your room isn’t down here.” Lance slurs slightly in a mocking tone and Kuro raises a finger in a shushing gestures winking a slightly clearer yellow eye at the tipsy blue paladin.

Lance giggles when they reach his room, slapping around for his door scanner to let them in. Kuro pulls his arm from around his neck letting Lance stumble forward past the threshold before gently tugging him around to face him.

“This is where I leave you my treasure.” Kuro chuckles, bending to place a small kiss to the back of Lances knuckles, mischievous golden eyes twinkling up at the slack jawed and glassy eyed human.

“Goodnight, Lance.” He murmurs, standing up straight and turning away to make his way to his own bedroom.

Lances hand flies out to spin Kuro back around with a hand to his shoulder springing forward into his strong arms once more and pressing his nose to the hollow of his throat.

“Don’t! Please…stay.”

Kuros body freezes up. He hesitates, eyes wide with the implications of that request.

He should say no. Should explain that this isn’t what he wants. Because its not. He wants love. To love and be loved in return. He wants to go slow and court Lance in the usual human fashions and bring him gifts and tell him a million times how amazing he is, and take him to dinner and meet his momma and so much more.

They’re both drunk and neither of them are thinking clearly. This is such a bad idea. A bad BAAAD idea.

But Lances long fingered hand is slowly edging up the hem of his stained white shirt, fingers splaying against his abdomen and those delicious looking lips are edging ever closer and Earth is trillions of miles away in some far off galaxy and the liquor is spinning in his head and now Lances hot candy sweet breathes are washing over his own gaping mouth and Kuro has never been good at refusing himself anything.

So he gives in.

His traitorous hands are scooping Lance up underneath his thighs in the span of a heartbeat and his mouth collides with the open gasping one centimeters from his own with a violent clash of fangs and teeth and sweeping tongues and biting lips. Lances hands scratch through the short hairs of his undercut and the small lithe boy convulses against him moaning lewdly into their open mouthed kiss as his long lightly muscled legs wrap vice tight around Kuros waist.

Kuro snarls, stumbling forward towards the desk on the other side of the room. He sweeps his metal arm out across the table nocking the lamp, the papers and knickknacks and stacks of clothes to clatter noisily to the floor, easily supporting his precious boys weight with his one human arm before he’s setting Lance down on the surface; mouth never once pulling away from the ravaging kiss. He growls into Lances whimpering mouth as fumbling hands start to rip at the waist band of his pants and Kuro is all of a sudden extremely aware of how uncomfortably tight his jeans are becoming.

Lance pulls away for air and Kuro growls again kissing his way across his cheek to nip at his ear and then down the underside of his jaw, tongue darting out occasionally to lap at the flesh there. Lance mewls, gasps, moans, writhes under his ministrations; hands coming up beneath Kuros too tight shirt to scratch his blunt nails down the others wide scarred back.

“Oh Jesus Christ!” He squeaks as Kuros mouth fastens around his pulse point suckling the golden skin into his mouth, making sure to mark him for the whole world to see.

Lances shaking hands are back at the front of his pants again, trying desperately to work the stiff new leather belt open without much luck.

“O-Off!” He demands and Kuros more than happy to comply pulling away long enough to whip his shirt off and rip the belt clear of his pants loops, he unbuttons and zips his jeans, sliding the form fitting fabric down his lightly haired thighs and toeing his shoes off so he can pull them all the way off. He kicks the pile away, stripped to his black form fitting briefs, cock clearly visible where it’s starting to strain against the tight mesh material.

Lance whines spreading his legs in a lewd invitation and lifting the edge of his crop top enough to show off one pert dusky pink nipple that’s slowly starting to harden in the cool air of the room. Kuros on him again in an instant cupping his face in the palms of his large hands and pulling him back in to cover his panting mouth with messy affectionate kisses, mumbling incoherent compliments against his lips in-between presses. His heart hammers against his ribs and all he can think is steady mantra of ‘Lance, Lance, Lance’.

Lances hands roam over all of the newly exposed skin and then suddenly they come to a halt. Lance freezes up and Kuros slow brain takes a second to realize that something is wrong. Lance begins to shake and Kuro breaks off, pulling away to take in the slightly green shade of the other mans face.

“I…I don’t…feel so good.” Lance grumbles slowly wrapping his arms around his middle and leaning into Kuros naked chest.

“Oh…” Kuros brain still hasn’t caught up and he’s trying to gulp down his disappointment. Trying to shove away the hurt. Then understanding hits.

“OOH! Oh, shit.” Kuro scoops him up again and runs for the adjoined bathroom. He’s barely gotten the toilet seat up before Lance is pushing out of his hold to fall to his knees, burying his nose in the toilet to viciously vomit up the contents of his stomach.

Kuro kneels behind him gently rubbing circles into his back as Lance heaves over and over. He retches until there’s nothing left but foamy saliva and he still gags, sobbing into the nasty water. Kuro reaches over to flush it all away, brushing Lances sweat slick hair back from his damp forehead.

“Hang on baby.” Kuro murmurs placing a kiss to Lances shoulder before he’s standing to grab a wash cloth from the linen cabinet and running it under hot water. He wrings it out over the sink before shutting off the water and crouching beside Lance once more. Kuro turns his tear streaked face to him, carefully wiping him clean and folding the towel to a new edge to run over the rest of his face.

“Do you need to throw up again or do you think I can move you to the bed, hmm?” He asks gently, rubbing his back once more as he tosses the soiled towel into the dirty clothes basket in the corner.

Lance just shakes his head leaning his face into Kuros human hand when it comes up to brush away a stray tear. Kuro coos to him as he carefully lifts him into his arms bringing him out to sit on the edge of his bed. He pulls off Lances shoes and socks, moves to lay him down in the mound of covers but Lance whines pushing at him and tugging at the edge of his own shorts.

“Help me?” He slurs and Kuro swallows.

He shouldn’t be nervous. He’s standing here in his own briefs after basically tongue fucking the boys mouth but… Well that was in the heat of the moment.

“Of course.” Is all he says, tenderly pulling the slightly damp crop top over the younger mans head before carefully laying him back and undoing the three buttons on his impossibly tight shorts. Kuro tries to be gentle as he works those suckers down Lances plump thighs, but dammit they are TIGHT. Lance tries to help as best he can, lifting his hips and pushing weakly at the waist band. It takes them a minute but Kuro finally works them down and off. He averts his eyes from the silky blue sparkly boy short panties and helps Lance slide into the covers, tucking him in snuggly before placing a kiss to his forehead.

“Stay with me…” Lance mumbles, eyes closed and hand searching for Kuros own. Hes already half asleep and Kuro picks up his grasping fingers, squeezing and rubbing his thumb across the backs of them.

“I’ll stay until you fall asleep.” He whispers, sitting on the edge of the bed. “You need to rest now angel. I’ll see you in the morning, yeah?” Lances only reply is a sluggish hum of acceptance.

Kuro waits about ten minutes before he slides his fingers out of Lances tight hold. He redresses as quietly as possible, drags over the waste bin from the corner; just in case, and sets a glass of water on the bedside table. He leans over to give Lance one last kiss on the cheek, brushing the light brown waves from his eyes before turning out the lights and taking his leave.

‘Sober Kuro’s going to have a lot to deal with tomorrow.’ Kuro thinks to himself, humming contentedly to himself as he makes his way back to his own bedroom.

Maybe there was hope after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh Kuro..... *Sighs deeply with a dreamy little smile on my dopey face*
> 
> This chapter was really hard for me to get out. I rewrote this thing like four times and I really liked each one of them but I couldnt shake the feeling that they just didnt match up with the plot im striving to maintain here. They were super self ingulgent and I had to mov ethem all into my deleted scences folder. *shakes head sadly* 
> 
> I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY COWLY COW YOU GUYS! TODAY MARKS THE END OF MONTH ONE WITH THIS STORY UP AND I CANNOT BELIEVE THE KIND OF FEEDBACK ON THIS PUPPY. THANK YOU SOO SOOOO MUCH! YA'LL ARE TOO GOOD TO ME!
> 
> Let me just copy and paste this here...Words: 58,663 Comments: 176 Kudos: 294 Bookmarks: 38 Hits: 2517


	17. Hangover Remedy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *COUGH, COUGH* Im sick~ -_-,
> 
> You Guys: BOO YOU WHORE!
> 
> Im sorry ya'll I tried. Honestly this week has been a mix of hellish and yucky for me. Husband brought home some nasty summer strep throat and im just now starting to feel well enough to glare at my laptop screen for any length of time.
> 
> This chapter is utter crap i'm apologizing before hand. 
> 
> Also just to let ya know I started a new fun fic in modern AU after i put up last chapter. Go check it out! Its called The Boys Next Door and it will be much more fast paced than this one. Yes it's Luro and it has Shiro and Kuro twins in it. *Wink Wink*

Kuro wakes in his room, naked and sprawled like a starfish over his small bed. His head and bionic arm hang off the side and one leg leans up against the wall. He groans as a headache slams into place behind his temples and gingerly lifts himself back onto the tiny nest he’s made.

His bed back on the galran ship had easily been twice as long and four times as wide and he still hasn’t grown used to having to cram his large body into one designed to be just big enough.

He sits there in the silence, propped up against the wall, just watching an asteroid belt pass by his large oval window. It’s the one thing he’d asked for when Allura was picking a space for him to stay in. Just a window. It didn’t even have to be a BIG one. ‘A small port hole would do just fine,’ he had hesitantly told her as she’d quickly flipped through her holoscreens of the castles layout, not paying him much mind. He had been nervous to even ask with her being so frigid towards him all the time. But… He just needed some kind of tether. Some semblance of comfort. And his window in his old room had always provided that.

Kuro hadn’t thought she’d even heard him until she had paused, face unreadable as something in his tone had caught her attention. She had glanced over, taken in the slight blush and fidgety hope that had passed across his face. Then continued to coldly inspect him for a few ticks before dragging her attentions back to the screens hovering before her. She had started over, flipping through them a bit slower this time and mumbling under her breath as her forehead had creased in concentration.

After a few minutes of this she had sighed heavily and motioned him away, telling him she would call when she was ready for him. He hadn’t needed telling twice. Kuro had scurried off to waste the day away snoring under Pidges desk as she rattled about the green lions hangar, working on some new project or another. It wasn’t until much later in the afternoon that he had been summoned again to meet the princess on the bridge.

She had escorted him through the castle, far far away from any of the others’ quarters. The farther they had walked and the more halls they had woven down the further Kuros heart had sunk. At that point he had been convinced that this woman really did hate him. Hated him so much that she wanted him sequestered away to the deepest darkest depths of her ship.

But then she had slowed, finger waving at the thresholds they passed as she counted door numbers under her breath.

“This one? No… two down. Yes.” She’d mumbled under her breath, stopping before a small door towards the end of the darkened hall. Kuro had stopped a few feet away, nervously swaying his weight from foot to foot. It was awkward and dark and the air was stale and unused. Like nothing had moved through it in hundreds of years. Probably longer.

Kuro had straightened when she shot him a look. He hadn’t been sure what the princess was looking for but then she slowly started to nod and turned back to the door, laying a palm against the lifeless scanner. She’d closed her eyes, face screwing up in concentration. For a moment nothing had happened. Then the whole wall lit up and Kuro had to jump away, hissing cautiously incase something bad was about to happen.

The ‘energy’ or whatever it was she’d drawn had moved through the wall, seeping into the metal like water and suddenly a whirl of life came to the stoney hallway around them. Kuro had blinked, readjusting his eyes as the lights flickered on and the princess had leaned back with a satisfied hum, dusting her hands down the skirts of her beautiful flowy gown as she’d turned towards him with a small smile.

“Go ahead,” She had chuckled lightly, gesturing towards the now glowing panel beside the door. “Look it over. I think you will find it to your liking. Let me know if it doesn’t suit you though, I know it is a bit of a trek but…it is the biggest window we have in any personal quarters I believe, even if the room is a bit on the small side.”

Kuro had been surprised enough to draw on his blank mask, hiding his vulnerability behind the lack of physical emotion. He hadn’t thought she would really take into account his request, let alone go so far out of the way to see to it.

He had hesitated, then strode forward with purpose and gently placed his left palm against it. The door had slid back and he had gasped, mask cracking as his eyes had widened his mouth parting just slightly in awe.

The window was easily two of his arm spans wide and taller than his head, coming down to just bellow his waist. It sat deep in the wall with a wide flat surface that looked to be made for lounging. It was just like the one Lance seemed to love so much in the dining area and he loved it immediately, not giving a lick about the rest of the small space. So what if it didn’t have his own personal bathroom? So what if there was no closet and he wouldn’t have much room for furniture? He didn’t own anything anyway.

‘It’s perfect.’ He had thought, only realizing he had said it aloud when Allura had stepped up beside him, running a finger through the dust on the window seat and muttering a pleased, “I thought you might say as much.”

Kuro had turned to her, expression soft and ears laid low in gratitude as he’d told her his thanks. She had just brushed him off with a wave of her delicate hand and a small smirk before gesturing them to leave, telling him they’d be stopping soon to take him shopping for clothing and that they’d scavenge through abandoned bedrooms aboard the ship for anything he would need for the room after dinner.

In the end he had ended up with one smallish four drawer dresser, a couple floating bookshelves to place his things on, and the small bed with one pillow and a few comforters in varying shades of blue.

Kuro is lost in thought as he lays there, considering whether or not he could sleep a full night curled up on his window seat without crashing to the cold floor below. It’s a while later before his brain kickstarts enough to realize that he’s missed practice with Lance.

Lance…

Kuro’s eyes widen and his breath hitches, heart skipping a beat. He raises his long sharp claws to run across his bottom lip staring down into his scar smattered lap with a mix of wonder and a sharp spike of unfamiliar delight.

Had he…kissed Lance last night?

“Oh quiznack… I kissed Lance last night.” Kuro cups his chin with one shaky hand, face scrunching up in alarm. He sits there in stunned silence as his yellow eyes track the flares of blue and purple lights passing by. Eventually he lets his head fall back to thunk against the wall behind him, hand moving to run through his longish forelock; pushing the loose strands away from the bridge of his nose to mingle with the growing black of his hair. He’ll need a cut soon…

Kuro doesn’t know how long he sits there trying to piece together the events of the night before. He remembers his self-realization on being in love with the blue paladin. Remembers watching Lance dance and dance and dance. He thinks about how good the smaller man had looked pressed up against him, mile long brown legs bare to his hot hungry gaze. He remembers the feeling of his breath against his own oversensitive skin, the lustful glaze to those dark blue eyes, the slightly swollen shiny bottom lip from Lances tiny white teeth sinking into it over and over.

Kuro shudders, heat rising in his chest. Every second of it had been amazing. And yet.

‘What have I done?’ He thinks, whining a bit as he slinks off his bed to rummage through his dresser for clean clothes. He has to apologize for his drunk self. Who knows if Lance even wanted any of that! Kuro knows how he gets when he’s drunk; pushy and demanding and lust driven.

But…from what he can remember, hadn’t Lance been the one to initiate everything? He can’t be sure; can’t trust the animal within him. Doesn’t even remember enough. Can’t recall how they’d made it back to the ship, can’t recall much of how he wound up in Lances bedroom. He can remember scooping the smaller man up in his arms, teeth snapping dangerously against the others open mouth. Oh goddess he hopes he hadn’t hurt him. Had Lance even wanted to be kissed? What if it was all some alcohol induced hallucination and he had forced himself upon the smaller man? What if Lance refuses to talk to him? Stars above…What if Lance hates him now?!

“I have to go talk to him.” He tells the empty room around him, hurriedly stepping in and yanking up a clean pair of briefs and slinging a lightweight blue hoodie around his shoulders and over his head, quickly tugging it down to his waist.

Kuro stumbles to the door panel, clumsily slapping a hand over it to get it to open. “I have to try and figure out what happened last night. I hav-have to-” He glances down at his bare legs and groans running back in to his dresser. “Have to put on some damn pants.” He grumbles hopping from foot to foot for balance while he shoves each leg into a pair of baggy light grey sweatpants that hug his waist and ankles. He skips shoes and socks bolting from the room and starting a steady jog for the somewhat long haul to the blue paladins quarters.

 

~~~

 

Shiro wakes with a pained groan, trying to shove away the hands that push at his shoulder.

“Nooo.” He moans pitifully, blinking his eyes and trying to glare at Keith next to him in bed. The dim lights feel like knives to his corneas and he slams them shut once more, sluggishly rolling to bury his face under his pillow away from any other potential assault.

“Come on old man. You didn’t drink THAT much. You’ll be just fine after breakfast you lightweight.” Keith hums, rolling over to lay partially on top of him. Keith buries his face into the hunched up crook of Shiros shoulder, trying to nuzzle in far enough to plant a few solid kisses to his boyfriends neck.

Shiro moans once more, voice muffled by the pillow. Keith climbs over him feet landing with a slap against the cold metal floor. He stretches his arms above his head, arching his back like a cat, then turns to look at the large lump in the bed. Keith crosses his arms, foot tapping with impatience. He snags the edge of the blanket and yanks it away as quickly as he can.

Shiro yelps at the rush of chilly air and springs up to make a swipe for the blankets. Keith just huffs, twisting them up and tossing them into a far corner of the room and Shiro growls in frustration as his face falls into a very manly pout. He squints up at the edgy teen hovering over him and reaches out to pull him in close, rubbing his face into Keiths tight muscled stomach when he steps forward without complaint. Keiths fingers card through Shiros hair as he watches him fondly, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“How about a hot shower and some coffee substitute? Hmm? Will that make you feel better?”

Shiro sighs a deep drawn out thing and pulls himself to his feet, using his smaller boyfriend as an anchor to keep his balance.

He leans down to rub his slight scruff against the youngers smooth cheek and Keith chuckles, reaching up to grab the edge of his jaw and turns his face down for gross stale alcohol and morning breath smooches before walking behind him and pushing at the small of his back to get him walking in the right direction.

“Right this way big guy. You need a shave and a toothbrush.”

 

It’s about forty minutes later before their walking down the halls together hand in hand and making small talk, chuckling softly at one another. Everything is fine until Kuro comes barreling towards them, headed in the direction they’d just come from. Shiro pauses, yanking Keith to a stop by their interlocked digits to give his clone a funny look. Good mood rapidly fading.

“Hey. Where do you think you’re going?” He asks, eyes wide at the mildly panicky expression on the other mans face.

Kuro doesn’t answer. Doesn’t even make eye contact and Shiro has a good idea as to the answer. Now that he’s on this new track the night before starts to drift to mind. Foggy memories of Kuro being far touchier than they’d agreed on him being with Lance swimming into focus.

“Kuro, STOP!” Kuro doesn’t stop, instead brushing past to turn down the hall that leads to Lances bedroom. Shiro snarls, anger bursting to life inside of him.

“S-Shiro?!” Keith gasps, at the sudden mood swing. He tries to get his boyfriends attention, yanking hard on the hand in his own. Shiro drops it spinning to take off down the hall after his double and Keith feels his heart stutter with shock and hurt.

“What the fuck?! Where are you going? Leave them alone dammit!” He shouts after him before he ducks completely out of sight around the corner.

Keith isn’t sure what exactlys been going on between the three of them but whatever it is its weird and it makes him uncomfortable. Why did Shiro care so damn much? So what if Lance and Kuro had so obviously been leaning into some sort of thing together! Nobody else seemed to mind and why should they? Lance was seven months older than Keith was himself! He had every right to be with whoever made him happy. So did Kuro! Kuro was a person and a part of their team now. So why was Shiro being such a dick about it?! Shiro and he had each other, so why would it matter to either of them?

Keith was quickly becoming a nasty mix of angry and jealous. He growls, balling his fists at his sides before sprinting after the two idiots.

Whatever was going on he was about to put a stop to it. For good. If Shiro didn’t want a huge fucking problem on his hands he was going to come with him and they were going to talk. Talk about…WHATEVER this shit was.

 

~~~

 

Lance wakes up to the sound of arguing outside his door. His head feels like its full of molasses and he swears he can feel his pulse painfully spiking through his brain with each rush of blood from his squeezing heart.

Ooh Dios… he’s going to be sick. He rolls trying to aim for somewhere over the edge of his bed and is muddily surprised to see a trash can right before his face. He retches and coughs. The puke is a nasty foamy yellow and Lance remembers that it means his stomach is empty. Stomach bile.

“Great.” He groans, praying this doesn’t mean he upchucked all over someone last night.

His head is pounding and his whole body shudders, somehow blazingly hot and goosebump chilly all at the exact same time. He’s sore all over and the ceiling when he flops back down is spinning uncontrollably above his head. He can’t tell whether its better or worse with his eyes closed and decides to just keep them open.

The shouting escalates and he can hear a scuffle start up, additional voices rising in pitch to protest.

‘What the actual fuck is going on out there?!’

He weakly pushes up into a sitting position, taking a moment to let the walls settle down into a less hectic whirl. When he’s mostly sure the nausea isn’t going to get the better of him he slides down to the floor. The muscles of his thighs quiver and his head falls forward to stare down at them in mild loathing. He realizes that he’s not wearing anything besides his underpants. He doesn’t remember getting undressed…actually, now that he’s thinking about it, he doesn’t remember much of anything from last night.

“Uuugh…” He clutches at his head with one hand as the voices outside send another wave of pain stabbing into his brain. The other hand fumbling around behind him to pull a plush blanket off the bed. He wraps it around his sweaty shoulders and stumbles forward.

Whoever’s out there better be prepared for an untimely and messy death. Lance is SICK dammit. Who the fuck had the nerve to make all that racket when his damn head felt like it was going to explode at any given moment and his intestines where crawling around inside him with a newfound mind of their own?

He slaps a trembling hand over the doors panel and squints when light floods into his near pitch black room from the hall, illuminating his crabby and blanket swathed figure to the four other men beyond.

They freeze, shrieking and snarling grinding to an abrupt halt as all heads turn to take in the scrumpy boy wobbling up from the gloom of the newly opened door.

Lance squints at them, raising a shaky hand to block some of the piercing light from his sensitive eyeballs and trying not to stumble as he leans some on the door frame.

“What the fuck are you doing out here? Leave.” He grumbles in an irritated and raspy voice, trying to force as much metal into it as he can. He glares at them, taking in the tangled limbs of the oldest lookalikes as if they’d just been trying to rip each other’s heads off. Lance frowns harder as his slitted eyes slide to take in the squished and panting Korean boy in the middle, feet planted on Kuros stomach and shoulders and hands pressing back into Shiros firm straining chest behind him. He looks like a folded lawn chair and if Lance wasn’t literally dying here he knows he would have found the scene relatively hilarious. As it is he’s just extremely annoyed and pissy and he wants to slam his door like a moody teenager and crawl back into his mounds of blankets to sleep this nasty hangover off.

He snaps his eyes up accusingly at Hunk who’s standing closest to the door with his back towards him. Lance registers the horrified shock that flashes through Hunks eyes as he stares over his shoulder at him and he’s sure it has to do with his messy appearance at the moment. Hunk has one hand out towards the fighting trio and one splayed backwards towards the now open door as if he’d been trying to stave off the other mens advances.

Lances burning eyes snap to the jumbled mess of other men as he takes another hopefully threatening step forward.

“Go! Get! Lárgate! Abrete! Váyase!” Lance hisses, slipping into Spanish out of frustration when none of the four immediately jump into action. He pushes one hand out of his blanket wrap to flick at them in an agitated manner, lurching forward with a growl to get them scrambling. Trying to keep his balance as his head swims threateningly with the staggered movement.

“Uh, yeah buddy sure, I’ll bring you something to help you feel better okay? Kuro why don’t you…come help me in the kitchen.” Hunk gives the large man a pointed look, raising an eyebrow when all he receives is narrowed eyes and a flash of white teeth.

Keith seems to snap out of it then, pushing as hard as he can with his legs trapped so tightly between the two men. Shiro stumbles back a step, no longer braced against the threat of force. Keith drops to all fours between them and bounces back to his feet to whirl on his boyfriend, red faced and viscous looking. Shiro flinches when the smaller man cuffs his ear and grabs his shoulder to shove him away in the direction of their rooms. There’s a slight hesitance to his stature before he gets a good look at the fuming raven haired boys face and suddenly he’s being led away with no more than a final hard glance back at the rest of them.

Kuro seems to deflate as his stony yellow gaze follows Shiros retreating form. Lance shuffles forward some more, glare still firmly in place and arms crossed to hold his blanket around his shivery body as he leans forward to give the clone the stink eye. He tries his best to imitate his abuelos hens when they’d fluff up to ward off potential threats. He waits a tick before Kuros somewhat calmed gaze shifts to meet his, ears immediately flicking in surprise before falling flat. Kuros eyes soften and fill with worry as he takes in Lances flushed features and shuddering frame. He reaches as if he might actually try to touch Lances face but Hunks hand snaps out to snag his wrist before he can make contact.

“Not a good idea man, come on with me before you get your hand bit off.” Hunk warns as he starts dragging the frowning clone away towards the common area. Heading for the aforementioned kitchen. Kuro glances back several times before they turn a corner and Lance lets himself relax some.

‘What the hell was that all about?’ He hazily thinks. Honestly he couldn’t care less as long as they just stayed the hell away from HIS room with all of that obnoxious racket.

Lance huffs before turning and shuffling back to his bed. He drops the blanket to ease himself back in burrowing into the mass amounts of fluff before collapsing bonelessly and falling into a fitful sleep.

 

~~~

 

Hunk watches Kuros large moping form sprawled out over the majority of his counterspace from the corner of his eye as he works, reading off a holoscreen with directions from Coran on how to blend together an altean hangover remedy.

No one in the ship seemed to be having a good day so far and he’s hoping if he can get some of this sludge in everyone maybe things will lighten up a little. Poor pidge had been curled up in her work chair almost all morning and Lance looked capable of murder when he’d stumbled out covered in sweat with blood shot eyes and the worst case of bed head Hunk had ever seen in his life. I mean not that he blamed him. That scene had been absolutely absurd. The shouting and fighting was bound to wake even the dead.

He has to talk to Kuro about what’s up between him and Shiro. Before another situation like the one just now breaks out. Friends don’t treat each other that way! Poor Keith had almost been flattened into a pancake between the two and Hunk had honestly been afraid of actual bloodshed before Lance had intervened. It’s a good thing that his best friend can be so scary when he’s in a foul mood, because nothing Keith or he had tried had come even close to snapping the two testosterone fueled men out of whatever the hell was going on.

Hunk thinks he has the gist of it though from all of the angry shouting and nasty things that had been said. Shiro didn’t want Lance and Kuro to get together. What Hunk doesn’t understand is why Shiro would be acting this way over it? What was so bad with Lance moving on? What was so wrong with the two being happy? Shiro had Keith. He didn’t WANT Lance! It was just so unlike him and Hunk refused to believe that it had all been in a fit of jealousy. So what motive would he have to keep the two separate…unless.

Hunks eyes snap up from where he’s cutting some strange vegetables to look at the previously grumpy man now innocently playing with the castle mice. He’s rolled to his back now and tosses each mouse up in the air to catch with a bare foot before they slide down his pants leg and line up to go again.

‘Does Shiro just not trust Kuro? That’s ridiculous! How could you not trust someone like Kuro? The guys done nothing but good since showing up here. Sure he has a rough past but still…’ Hunk chuckles as a mouse falls prematurely to bounce across the mans chest with an indignant squeak, Kuro immediately reaching to rub a clawed thumb across the top if its head in apology.

Hunk trusts Kuro. Heck, the princess trusts Kuro, even if the clone hadn’t yet realized it. She wouldn’t include him in team training routines, supply runs and strategizing if she didn’t. Hunk has even seen her seek Kuro out specifically on more than one occasion. So what was the problem?

Now that he’s thinking about it Kuro and Shiro didn’t really interact on the same level as the rest of them. They tended to only be involved with the same things if someone else was included. Like their evening training sessions with Keith. Or meal times. Or any group activity actually...

Hunk would have to find a way to remedy this situation. Maybe he could speak to Allura about the two going out on a mission together in the future. Then again, how could he be sure they wouldn’t kill one another while out in the field. He’s honestly not sure what would have happened if the rest of them hadn’t been there today.

Hunk sighs as he sets back to work on the veggies, dropping them into a pot to simmer on the strange and complicated altean version of a stove.

Kuro hears him and glances over with wide eyes to ask if he needs any help. Hunks eyes flick to take in the bundled pile of snoring mice in Kuros hoodie pocket and he just smiles fondly, telling him he thinks he has it.

It’s about time for lunch when he’s finally done with his nasty brown and bubbly concoction and he pours a couple glasses to bring to the rest of the paladins, carefully setting one down beside his now snoozing companion. He swears this guy can fall asleep nearly anywhere if he put his mind to it.

Hunk is just about to step out with his tray of drinks when he thinks better of it, setting them down before walking up to shake Kuro awake.

Kuros ears flick, nose scrunching as he cracks one yellow eye to see who’s disturbing his nap before letting it slide shut once more with an acquiring, “Hmm?”

“Hey man, I’m done with the stuff. I was wondering if you wanted to bring Lance his…” Kuro bolts up, swinging his legs to the floor, eyes wide and alert as he nods.

“Yeah I thought you might! Here.” He sets an extra glass down beside Kuros on the counter, glancing up to take in the worried glow to the others large yellow eyes.

“Hey.” Hunk starts, slapping a hand down on the slightly shorter mans shoulder and squeezing lightly. Kuro’s doing that empty thing with his face again and it makes Hunk sad to see it. He isn’t sure why he says what he does next. Maybe because Kuro looks like he needs some sort of sign or reassurance. Whatever it is, Hunk knows that he believes in every word.

“I’m rooting for you.” Kuro’s eyes shine a bit, face otherwise immobile and Hunk licks his lips in that nervous way of his.

“I just thought you should know. And I uh…I heard some of things Shiro said earlier and I don’t know why he’d say all that to you, but it’s not true. Lance sees you as a completely different person. He’s not the kind of guy to use a scape goat either. Trust me I’ve known him for only like, forever. If the dude likes you it’s because he likes YOU, not Shiro. Just give him time.”

Kuro doesn’t say anything, instead choosing to reach up and pat Hunks hand in silent thanks before grabbing the two glasses and stiffly marching out. That’s another thing Hunk has noticed besides that blank face thing he pulls. If he doesn’t agree he just doesn’t say anything at all.

“Well that could have gone better.” Hunk grumbles after the other man has left, snatching up his tray to head towards the hangars. Hopefully this junk will revive Pidge. If even a little. Otherwise the last two hours of his life had been for nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO here we go. Hopefully with this we can now start to work through some of Shiros crap and Keiths inseccurities and get all that mess out of the way to focus on more light hearted and lovey dovey topics.
> 
> I'm just going to go crawl in bed with my bottle of nyquil and watch Netflix until I pass out. Ta ta for now lovelies, hope you can forgive my tardiness.


	18. Scars and Whorship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! I feel great you guys!! Still have a bit of a cough but I am no longer dying! 
> 
> Also I am so feeling this story right now. Like this shit is going somewhere. 
> 
> On another note DONT HATE ME! I got lazy and didnt feel like writing the inevitable battle between Keith and Shiro this Chapter BUT I will be starting next chapter from Shiros POV thinking back on what happened and then contimplating his new mindset towards Lance and Kuro's relationship. 
> 
> Sooo Here we go ya'll, 18 pages for ch. 18!!

Kuro has no clue what he’s doing. He has his left ear pressed to the cold flat surface of Lances door and the other tucked firmly in place to the side of his head, keeping out any distracting noises. He’s been like this for at least five minutes now, but there hasn’t been even the slightest peep from within. Not even the faint buzz of the lights.

Is he supposed to knock? Lance didn’t look so good earlier. In fact, he’d been livid. Kuro had never seen the blue paladin that angry before and he really didn’t want to piss him off again by waking him up…Maybe he should just go in and leave the drink?

No that wouldn’t be any good. Lance needed to actually drink it. He wouldn’t know what the foul-smelling concoction was if Kuro didn’t explain it to him first. Besides who knew how long the mixture would be any good. Did it have an expiration time? Would it go sour if it wasn’t consumed in a certain number of hours?

Stars above, he would have to wake him up. He wasn’t sure if he was ready. It had seemed like such a good idea at first. He had wanted so badly just to speak with him. But after his fight with Takashi…he wasn’t sure if he had the confidence to approach the subject of last night just yet. Lance hadn’t seemed to be in any sort of mood to talk anyways.

Kuros stomach feels like its full of ice. His human hand is clammy and he repeatedly tongues over one fang in a mindless manner.

He feels like a coward. And cowardliness isn’t something he stands for. He’ll just have to do it. If it doesn’t seem like the right time for them to discuss what happened last night then he won’t bring it up. That’s right, he just has to let Lance lead. All he REALLY needs to do right now is make sure that Lance sits up long enough to take his medicine. So to speak.

With that in mind he takes a step back to knock. His metal hand rings out against the door, echoing down the hall and Kuro has to physically force himself to relax. To breathe out a large lungful of air in a controlled exercise he usually uses in training.

There is no answer.

He knocks again; shifting from side to side and glancing around to make sure the loud ringing sound doesn’t draw any unwelcome company, A.K.A Takashi. The ass.

Again there’s no reply and Kuro swallows, clawed fingers hovering over the manual input pad beneath the scanner. Of course he knows how to open Lances door. He knows how to open all the doors in the castle with any life to them. He’s been here long enough for that at least. But he doesn’t REALLY want any of the others to know… Still he is worried about the lack of response from inside.

Would Lance be sick enough not to question how he got in? Probably not. Kuro didn’t have to answer him though. Or he could just say that the Princess or Takashi or Pidge let him in. But that would be lying and if there is one thing that he truly does not condone it is lies. No he won’t lie. But not saying anything at all isn’t really a lie, now is it?

He types the pass in before he can change his mind, picks up the still full glass of Hunks altean remedy and leaves his now empty one behind in the hall alongside the four stole away mice he had to remove from his pocket earlier. He gives them a look to make sure they stay put and then slips inside. The door closes behind him with a silent hiss of air. Kuro blinks into the darkness until his eyes adjust.

Lances room smells of sick. He breathes through his mouth, trying not to irritate his too sensitive nose as he steps up to Lances bedside and leans over to try and see his face. The smaller boy has cocooned himself in the heaps of bedding and only the tips of one hands fingers stick up out of the spot where his head should be. Kuro sets the glass down quietly on the nightstand and bends to pick up the trash can, bringing it to the tub in the adjoining bathroom to rinse. When he comes back out he pauses, registering the flat gleam of eyes staring back at him from the mountain of blankets on the bed.

“Lance.” He takes a cautious step forward, then another when there is no response.

He walks the rest of the way to the bed, setting the now clean waste bin down on the floor beside it and bending at the knees to duck down far enough to peer in at the blue ones looking out.

“Hey…are you feeling okay? I brought something for you. From Hunk. He says it will make your hangover better.”

“Did you know your eyes glow in the dark?” Lance grumbles, almost inaudible past the covers pulled up over his nose.

Kuro blinks, surprised by the question before slowly nodding. “Yes. Does it scare you? I can leave if you want.”

Again there is no response and the ice is starting to creep back into his belly. He hates his eyes. Has always hated them. Now they are unnerving the one person whose trust he’s been striving to obtain all this time.

He sighs, standing to turn for the door but a firm grip on the edge of his hoodie pulls him to a stop.

“Would you hand me that cup?” Lance asks, voice slightly raspy as he pushes himself up into a sitting position and drops his head into one hand.

Kuro blinks again before slowly turning back and reaching for the glass once more. Lance holds out a hand, head still down and Kuro presses the glass into it. His human hand cupping Lances shaky one from behind to makes sure he has it before cautiously letting go.

“Thanks man. Why don’t you sit down.” Kuro nods again, not that Lance is looking but he really just doesn’t know what to say. He’s confused. Why would Lance want him around if his eyes make him uncomfortable? He walks over to the desk, pulling out the chair and sitting in it backwards so he can rest his chin on the back.

He watches Lance cringe as he swallows down more than half of the glass. “Oh, yuck! What the heck is this stuff?” Lance chokes, looking up to find Kuro nearly on the other side of the room. “Why are you sitting all the way over there? Get over here and sit on the bed or something its weird not being able to see you. Why don’t you turn on the light or something instead of skulking around in the dark?”

Kuro flinches. Oh, that’s right. Humans have very poor vision in the dark. He had nearly forgotten. He spins the chair back towards the desk to search around in the pile of junk he’d knocked to the floor the night before, grabbing the lamp from the mess. He clicks it on and places it on the corner where it had been resting the night before; whispering to the crystals to get them to dim down so that they won’t hurt Lances eyes.

“Hey how did you do that?!” Lance jumps out of bed, still in nothing but his tight sparkly blue underpants and Kuro has to yank his wide eyes away as quickly as he can as the other boy scuttles over to lean over his shoulder. Kuros breath hitches at the pressure on his back. Very carefully he lets his eyes slide sideways to take in the confused wonder on the younger boys face as he fiddles with the crystal lamp and Kuro looks away when Lance turns to him.

“Show me how you did that.” Lance demands.

Kuro stubbornly turns his nose up, crossing his arms as his eyes wander to the ceiling above to take in the multitude of stars painted there that he hadn’t seen before.

“Maybe you should put some clothes on first Lance.” He draws, aiming to showcase some level of indifference.

Lances huffed breathe brushes the side of his neck and Kuro glances back, eyebrows furled to take in the heated glow on Lances cheeks. He has to fight the urge to lean in farther. To unfold his tightly crossed arms and reach a hand out to feel the taught skin of the others lightly freckled abdomen. He’s seen them before after practices. All those freckles. Like all the stars and planets in the galaxy that surrounds them. He’s lost countless hours at night wondering over how many there could be, how far down they traveled. Lance had always been good about keeping a towel slung low to his waist during shower times and Kuro had been even better at averting his gaze in fear of breaking his own no touching rules.

But after last night…do those rules even count anymore after being so thoroughly slashed to ribbons? Lance had felt amazing pressed flush against him, he’d smelt amazing, looked amazing and tasted even better. Maybe he was too far gone at this point for any form of self-preservation. Maybe he could give in… pull the barely clothed boy down into his lap. Kiss him silly. Kiss every freckle, ever star painted across his light brown skin. Oh goddess did he want to. It could be his way of asking… asking if he remembers. If he wants this too. Or if last night was just a figment of his own drunken imagination or worse, just a way for the other to blow off steam.

Lance storms away to the bathroom before Kuro can do anything stupid, mumbling an agitated, ‘Wait here’ at him and slamming the door shut tight behind him. It’s not long before the hiss of water comes from the other side and Kuro blinks, pulling himself from his stupor and drooping into his chair, toeing the ground to get it to spin ever so slightly. He might be sitting here a while…

 

~~~

 

Lances heart beats a mile a minute against the inside of his ribcage.

Holly crow. The way Kuro had just been looking at him…as if he were about to devour him. His golden eyes molten as they’d skimmed over Lances stomach and down his smooth thighs then back up again to flicker across his face.

He’d felt almost worshipped. The man hadn’t even lifted a finger to touch him and honestly, he hadn’t needed to.

Lances blush deepens as a nearly painful throb comes from his now way too tight elastic underpants.

“Oh, quiznack!” He squeaks, desperately pushing his forming erection down as if that will help the situation at all. He’s trapped in his bathroom with a splitting headache a hard on and no clothes and he’s covered in a nasty layer of dried sweat and he smells like the inside of a trashcan and why WHY had he told Kuro to wait for him. Geez Louis was he ever screwed.

Lance stumbles away from his leaning position on the closed door to franticly turn on a spray of icy water. He bites his lip as he slides his thumbs under the waist band of his underwear, slowly dragging it down his thighs and wincing as the head of his dick catches in the fabric only to spring forward and smack into his stomach with a bounce. Lance pointedly ignores it, quickly kicking his dropped underpants away before diving in under the glacial water in his small tub.

He shakes and shivers, wrapping his arms tight around his shoulders and dancing in place until he feels the heat between his legs die down. His teeth clatter as he quickly switches the temp back to red and yelps as the water becomes blazingly hot in point two seconds flat. Damn altean ship with its damn good piping. He punches buttons and selects customized temperature, setting it to his usual and relaxing with a sigh as the scorching heat shifts into a pleasant melty warmth that pounds down into the stiff muscles of his shoulders and back. Perfect.

Lance stands there, completely content to just let the rejuvenating water wash him away into a wrinkled hag. But Kuro’s waiting.

Lance sighs again. A different kind of sigh this time. The pleasant floaty kind.

Kuro.

God that man gave him chills. He hadn’t been able to answer him earlier when he’d asked if his lightly glowing eyes scared him. Yes they scared him. Well more accurately he was scared of how much of a turn on they were to him. Those animalistic eyes did terrible things to his insides. Flushing him all hot and making him weak kneed and shivery. When had this happened exactly? It wasn’t long ago that the only person in his life who could do that to him had been Shiro. The one man he had always looked up too. The one man that he can never have.

Lance doesn’t remember the last time he had looked at his leader that way though. Can’t recall the last time he had lain in bed at night and fantasied about the much larger man hovering over him, covered in sweat and moaning his name as he worked above him. Now when he closes his eyes…

Lance shakes his head, wincing at the sudden spike of pain that shoots through his temple. This is a dangerous train of thought. He moves on instead to trying to piece together the night before. Lance still doesn’t remember much. The things he does remember are mostly of Kuro. Kuros hot gaze eating him up, Kuros heavy hands squeezing over the curve of his waist, Kuros spicy breath warming the crook of his neck where he would bury his head to inhale Lances own probably awful smell, fangs occasional catching on the skin there and making him gasp with want. That deep pleased rumble vibrating down his spine as he ground back against him.

Damn…

Had he really done that?! Oh god this was embarrassing. He had been trying to seduce him for a while now, but still…No wonder the man had been staring at him that way. Like he was-Was a dessert or something.  
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Lance swallows, hands moving to sift through his multitudes of glass bottles, stone dishes and decorative containers to find his favorite soap. The smell is clean and sweet. It reminds him of his favorite bath and body works scent back on earth, Sweet Pea. He slathers a good amount into his hand from its tall and thin pink glass container, careful not to snap off anymore of the tiny delicate glass flowers climbing up the sides, and smears it through his hair and all over his body. This stuff works wonders and the lady who sold it to him told him that it helps to ease ones mind as well as body. All Lance knows is that it leaves him smelling like a field of flowers for days afterwards and the lingering fragrance never fails to keep him relaxed and refreshed. He hasn’t been using it much lately, afraid that he will run out soon and saving it for the more stressful days.

He’d say today qualifies.

When he’s done with that he moves on to the clear odorless gel in the biggest jar that has to sit on the floor beside the tub. It looks like a woven basket but is really made of a hardened web that a spidern like people had given him. The substance inside helps to quickly and painlessly remove body hair and Lance was always extremely cautious with this stuff because once it was on you you where bald there for a very very long time. He had made the mistake once of itching his eyebrow with it on his fingers and had to deal with the harassment from Pidge and Keith over his resulting half brow for what seemed like months afterwards.

Now he slides the slippery stuff over his whole body and carefully over his cheeks, nose, mouth and chin, mindful not to miss anything. Its non-toxic from what Pidge could tell and no matter where he puts it it’s never stung before. Not even on open sores.

This jelly stuff is by far the one greatest godsend of being up here in space. Screw razors and wax. Screw Nair. When he went home, if he ever made it that is, he would be bringing a life time’s supply of this stuff with him.

Hunk and Shiro preferred to shave and where completely fine with body hair it seemed. Lance didn’t know what Kuro did. Probably the same as the other two. Lance was pretty convinced at this point that Keith just didn’t grow facial hair and whatever other hair he did have was thin and almost unnoticeable, the lucky bastard. Pidge of course really had no need for it and chose to go all natural. Yuck. Not that she was interested in anything that could make her change her mind at the moment. Lance wasn’t getting any either, but he still preferred to keep himself clean and smooth. He liked the feel of his skin, butter soft and silky. Liked the look of it all rich and glowy and warm after the lotions and herb baths sunk in past the first couple of layers.

He could do whatever he wanted in the limited free time that they did have. He was out almost daily trudging through foreign atmospheres and terrain, kicking alien butt and saving the day for literally everyone in exitance. So what if he liked to feel pampered? He deserved this much at least.

He takes his time now as he goes through his usual rituals. Making himself baby smooth with the hair removing gel and then scrubbing his skin down with textured salts to exfoliate and remove any dry or dead cells before smearing on a thick paste of minerals and oils that he likes to sit in for at least ten minutes. He whistles as he clips his nails and plucks his eyebrows and rinses off the sludge only to dry off in a fluffy white towel before wiping himself down once more with a flowery lotion that reminds him mildly of icy hot from back home. It’s well over forty minutes later that he’s finally ready to emerge. He can only pray that he took long enough for Kuro to have become bored and left.

He cracks the door to peak out and is met with the soft glow of yellow eyes from the corner of his dimly lit bedroom. No such luck then.

“Uhh, can you turn around while I get dressed? I forgot to bring clothes in with me.” Lance laughs nervously and waits until he can no longer make out the soft yellow glow in the gloom. He cautiously tiptoes out with a towel wrapped firmly around his waist, feeling a bit ridiculous. Kuro and him had been showering in stalls right next to each other and getting dressed beside one another for a while now. So why was he so nervous? Was it the comment from earlier? Or was it just that being in his own dim lit bedroom set a certain mood that had the hairs on the back of his neck rising and his heart picking up pace once again?

Whatever it is he’s determined to shake it as quickly as possible. Now is not the time for his usual flirting and casual touch goading. He still isn’t sure what all happened last night, but something in the other mans demeanor is setting him on edge enough to know that the dynamic of their friendship has somehow shifted. Whether it’s for the good or the bad Lance isn’t sure.

He crosses to the settings panel on the wall beside the door, pressing the first preset to brighten the room how he likes it and another button to turn on the vent, hoping to clear out some of the steam wafting from the now open bathroom door. Lance glances over to Kuro, noting the stiff set of his shoulders as he practically presses his nose into the corner.

He doesn’t say anything as he hurries over to his wardrobe, pulling out a regular pair of pink boxer briefs, a pair of jeans, a belt and a thin navy v-cut t-shirt. He dresses quickly, occasionally glancing up to see that Kuro is keeping his back to him.

“All right, I’m done!” Lance flops back on the bed and casually pats the space beside him when Kuro turns back to look at him. The guys wearing that dumb mask again and Lance has to fight not to show his frustration towards it. “You coming over dude? Or are you just going to sit there and make this awkward?”

Kuros ears flicker and it’s the only thing Lance has to register that he has somehow hit a nerve. The large clone stands with the grace usually reserved solely for the feline species and siddles over in a few languid strides, slowing as he reaches the side of the bed. His eyes show only the smallest bit of tightness at the corners and Lances gaze flicks to take in the even measured breathes and the ever so slightly clenched set to his jaw. On edge.

Lance reaches up to grab his human arm, just below his elbow, pulling impatiently as he skootches over just a smidge more to encourage him; his left side nearly flush to the cold wall. Kuro sinks down hesitantly, looking anywhere but at him. Lance sighs, deciding then and there that this level of awkward is never welcome in any of his friendships no matter what kind of weird happened the night before. He’ll just have to make Kuro more cozy.

Lance shoots up, making the other man jump beside him. He grabs the edge of a large fluffy white comforter from the foot of his small bed, dragging it up and over the both of them and planting a firm hand in the center of Kuros chest to force him back into the mass amounts of pillows he’s collected.

“Would you just lay down and relax already? I’m not going to bite you for Christ sake.” Lance snaps, pushing a little harder against Kuros thick muscled chest.

Kuro looks a bit guilty and turns a bright shade of red Lance has never seen on him before as he leans back all the way, mouth screwed up in a crooked line and tight eyes turned away to study his ceiling once more.

“Why are you so nervous? Haven’t you ever hung out in someone’s room before?” Lance is getting angry. Kuros reactions are making him feel like he’s a bad guy or something. Like a shifty person trying to lure children into nondescript vans with candy. Like a… a creep or something. Why is he so uptight?

Kuros gaze hardens over once more and Lance can feel him swell beside him in bed where his body stiffens. Their eyes lock, Lances shifting from slightly annoyed to slightly concerned, because he realizes that no, Kuro hasn’t ever done anything like this before. Has probably never even been in someone else’s bedroom for any length of time before today.

“Hey…” Lance starts, voice softer as he pushes up on one elbow to lean over Kuro, trying to capture his once again averted eyes.

“Hey.” He says again, even softer now as he reaches out to turn Kuros face back his way with a gentle touch to the bottom of his chin.

Kuro almost looks scared and a small part of Lances heart breaks for him, reminding himself of that day so long ago when he had seen just how broken Kuros soul really was. The day he had almost killed him, finger locked tight around the trigger, gun shoved up under his chin. The day Lances brain had short circuited long enough for him to kiss the enemy. Except…Kuro isn’t his enemy.

Lance wants to kiss him now. To kiss away the hurt and the uncertainty in those deep expressive gold eyes. Kuro has become one of his best friends. He loves his laugh and the joyous smiles that consume his handsome face ninety percent of the time. Loves to see him joking around with the other humans aboard the ship. Loves the small crease to his brow as he lapses into deep thought over strategy problems brought to him by the princess. Lance loves the wicked gleam to his bright eyes when some naughty jib runs through his head, or when he gets an idea for a new prank with Pidge. He loves it even more when he’s wearing a tank top and covered in sweat and grease from assisting Hunk on repairs to the lions, easily being able to get to the tough spots that Hunks lift has trouble managing.

Lance doesn’t like this sad unconfident version. He wants Kuro to feel nothing but at ease beside him. Wants him to feel welcome at all times. Lance wants Kuro to feel comfortable enough to open up to him, maybe talk about his troubles, definitely ditch that fake façade he’s so prone to plastering on.

So he does the one thing he knows how to do. Turns on his ‘Mom mode’ as Hunk teasingly refers to it. He had been the caregiver to more than a few toddlers and babies growing up in such a large family and when a friend is in need it’s really the only thing he has to go on from a life time of conditioning.

Lance swallows down the potential embarrassment he might feel later on, lightly scolding himself by remembering that Kuros never had anyone to lean against this way and probably needs it more than anyone he’s ever done it for before. Lance hums, wrapping his arms around Kuros neck and laying back to pull him down onto his much smaller chest. Kuro’s as stiff as a board but Lance pointedly ignores this, instead running his long fingers through the white forelock and crooning an old song in Spanish his older sisters would sing to him when he was small.

They lay like this for a long time, Kuro never fully relaxing and Lance repeatedly petting through his too long locks, noting to himself to ask later on if he needs help trimming it back. He soon finds his stride, voice growing with his confidence as Kuro thoughtfully stares at the wall behind him, eyes occasionally flicking up to meet Lances warm ones and small smile. Lance switches from lullaby to lullaby, always in Spanish and Kuro eventually melts into his side, eyes flickering closed and light purr rumbling through him in even waves.

When Lance is mostly positive the large man has fallen asleep he lets his song trail off, humming on so that Kuro wont wake in the sudden quiet. It’s a trick he had learned after many late nights trying to calm fussy infants as a teen and it works like a charm, even now with this grown man weighing heavily against his right side.

Lances right hand moves to rub down over Kuros broad back in even strokes, feeling the firm muscle beneath his sweatshirt. His left hand drops from its tireless petting in the mismatched hair to brush across Kuros high cheek bone and down to cup the back of his neck, scratching ever so slightly in the short hair there as an afterthought as he stares down curiously at him. Honestly he’d just been trying to calm him down enough to ask about what happened last night without things feeling any more awkward than they already were. Lance doesn’t have the heart to wake him now. He’s surprised Kuro managed to fall asleep. He really shouldn’t be all that shocked though, he supposes, considering that he finds the man passed out in nearly every free nook and cranny about the castle.

Lances eyes trace over the scars marring his skin. There’s one above his left brow, small and nearly invisible to the eye unless you’re as close as Lance is now. He presses a chaste kiss to it without a thought, pausing only briefly in his humming as his eyes flicker to the large dark pink slash running across the bridge of Kuros nose. Lances fingertips trace over it as lightly as they can, feeling the raised edges where the scar tissue dips down. Kuro’s nose twitches and he mumbles something in his sleep. Lance hums a bit louder, trying to lull him back down so he can continue his investigation. Kuro slings an arm around his waist, tucking it in under his back as he snuggles back into Lances shirt with a sigh, one fang poking out over his fat bottom lip.

‘Oh my god that’s cute.’ Is all Lance can really manage at this point. He bites his own lip and tries to slow his spiked heart rate as he switches his humming to a new song, continuing to rub absentmindedly over Kuros back.

Lance waits until Kuro’s deep breathes even out once more before reaching to tilt his face up some, brushing the pad of his thumb over the tip of the dark reddish scar on his square chin before letting the back of his fingers run down the length of it. The skin is rough and irregular, Kuro’s breathe hitches as Lances fingers splay over the end of it in the dip of his collarbone. Kuro goes stiff and Lance realizes that at some point he’d stupidly stopped humming while observing the angry scar tissue.

He nervously flicks his eyes up to take in Kuros careful gaze and swallows thickly, caught red handed.

“Sorry, I’ve just…never felt them before.”

Kuro doesn’t say anything and Lance hesitantly brushes his fingers across the base of his throat once more watching the slight spike of panic flash through Kuros wide eyes. Lance pulls his hand back immediately, sorry that he’d ruined the calm he’d worked so hard to achieve.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers, staring guiltily off into the empty space around them.

Kuro still doesn’t say anything but after a moment his big hand wraps around Lances and slowly pulls it back to the base of his throat, pushing it flat against the mottled skin there.

Lances jaw clicks shut in surprise and he turns to search Kuros face. Making sure that it really is okay to continue where he left off.

Kuros wide eyes convey nothing but trust and Lance leans in once more to kiss his cheek. He leans back to take in Kuros now tightly shut eyes and furrowed brow. Lance hums once more, deeper and more distractedly as his right hand starts rubbing over Kuros back again. His left coming up to brush across thin white scratches on the side of his neck he hadn’t noticed until now. Lance kisses those too and relishes in the swooping shaky exhale that Kuro gives in reply.

He makes it a point after that to kiss over all the scars, big and small on his face and neck that he can easily reach from his position with the bigger man tightly tucked to his side. Lance ignores the voice in his head asking him why he’s doing this, instead choosing to listen to Kuros occasional whimpers and sighs. The light airy sounds fill his heart to the brim and Lances lips eventually trail up the expanse of the largest scar against his throat, laving attention to it when it brings a deep drawn out groan from the man beneath him. Lances own soft moan answers him and he sits up enough to slide Kuro off his side, laying him down in the pillows beneath them so he can hover over him.

Lance presses his forehead to Kuros, eyes asking if he’s still okay with this new direction. He waits until he gets the slightest of nods before bending down to plant a light kiss to the edge of Kuros mouth. From there he moves down once more to the largest scar, starting at the tip on his chin and working his way down. Lance becomes almost desperate at that point as he works over the rough skin of Kuros throat with sloppy open mouthed kisses, licking into the dip of his collar bone and over to the hollow at the base. Lances eyes flutter open to see Kuros head tilted back in bliss, mouth open and eyes firmly shut. Kuro swallows and Lance takes in the bob of his adams apple. He runs his hands down Kuros clothed arms to tug at his hands, threading their fingers together and pulling them up to press down into the soft bedding just above Kuros shoulders.

Lance pushes them down, making Kuro squirm a bit beneath him, he leans back further to get a better look at Kuros face, flushed a pretty shade of pink, his chest rising and falling with his soft pants.

“Your beautiful.” Lance breathes, moving his left hand to cup the older mans cheek and brushing an overwhelmed tear away before it can run down the side of his face. Kuro stares back wide eyed and mouth agape and again Lances heart aches for him. Kuro obviously doesn’t believe him. Can’t even fathom where he’s coming from with this.

Lance leans in and presses his lips firmly to Kuros shaking bottom one, ignoring the gasp he gets in return.

He pulls back, dragging his knees up under him so he can use both hands to cradle Kuros face. He shakes his head slightly at the now rushing tears that well up and spill down the sides of Kuros face, shushing him as a small sob breaks past.

“Kuro, you are so beautiful.” Lance says again, this time in a firmer voice, trying to convey how serious he is. How much he really means it.

Kuro just closes his eyes, sinking his fangs down into his plush bottom lip hard enough for blood to well around the sharp tips. Lance brushes a firm thumb across them, gently pulling his lip down and away before he can really hurt himself. It’s not lost on him that Kuro hasn’t said a word since telling him to get dressed earlier. That had been before his shower.

What was it, hours ago?

“Kuro, can I kiss you? I need to hear you say it. Please, tell me I can kiss you.” Lance whispers, gently nuzzling his nose against the tip of Kuros own. Kuros gasping for air beneath him, eyes glassy and wet. His whole body trembling. Lance moves to kiss away the still streaming tears, hushing him in a gentle voice and telling him he’s okay.

He eventually gives up, afraid of driving the obviously over emotionally stimulated man into a full on break down. He lays down once more, pulling Kuro onto his chest as he whispers assurances to him over and over, kissing the top of his head and petting through his now damp hair as he rocks them until Kuros breathes even out once more.

It’s a long time before Kuros collected himself enough to speak.

“I’m…sorry.” He whispers face buried in the soft fabric of Lances shirt. Lance doesn’t push him for more, eyeing the near shade of crimson covering the back of his neck. It must have taken a lot for him to force out anything at all.

“Hey it’s alright buddy. I should be the one apologizing here. I didn’t know my kisses where awful enough to make a grown man cry.” Lance teases, trying to lighten the mood.

Kuro stiffens, metal hand balling in the front of his shirt, and head jerking up with a slightly panicked expression to stare at Lance.

“No! No, that’s not… I didn’t mean to-I couldn’t make them-I-” Kuro babbles, trying to choke out what he really means Before Lances palm smacks over his mouth, effectively silencing the spew of jumbled words.

“Hey! Heey its fine. I was just joking Kuro. Besides, I’m pretty confident in my kissing abilities.” Lance starts, chuckling as he moves his hand so he can thumb over the salty tracks dried to Kuros red cheeks. He waits a moment for the clone to relax some before cautiously continuing on in a gentler tone.

“Sometimes people cry whether they want to or not. It’s not your fault okay? It’s just a dumb human thing. I’m not upset with you. I just wish that you would talk to me more. I want you to want to tell me how you’re feeling. I want you to come to me when you’re happy or sad or just need a shoulder to cry on. I want you to be comfortable enough to do that. And,” Lance hesitates, shifting around uncomfortably and taking in a big breath as he pushes on.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you.” He feels Kuro stiffen against him once more and glances down to see the mask pulling back into place.

“Stop that. Don’t do that. I want to see you, not some fake face... Why do you hide like that?” Kuro looks away at Lances scolding and Lance sighs running his hands back through the long white forelock to brush it away from where its fallen into his guarded eyes.

“What I meant was that I should have waited, for you to ask me to. To kiss you I mean. I shouldn’t have just dived in like that. I didn’t mean to upset y-”

“Lance!” Kuro interrupts, looking his way once more. “I liked it. It was nice. I’m just not used to…The galra-The-The galra don’t kiss one another. Not like that at least. I’ve never had anyone…” Kuro trails off, eyes filling as he swallows past a thick lump in his throat. Lance waits with baited breath for him to continue.

Kuro blinks away the tears, determined not to cry anymore and feeling childish and weak for not being able to stop them earlier. He looks back up into the dark blue concerned gaze above him before starting again.

“I wanted to say yes.” Kuro whispers and Lance blinks. Not knowing what he’s talking about for a moment.

“Say yes?” He repeats, trying to egg him on and ignoring the dark red blossoming once more across the older mans cheeks.

“To the…kiss. I wanted you to kiss me. I just couldn’t…I’m scared.” Kuro swallows, hiding his face away once more as he lets out a shuddering breathe of embarrassment.

“What are you scared of? I told you earlier I won’t bite. I promise.” Lance laughs lightly, rubbing soothing circles into the tightness of Kuros lower back.

“I’m scared because I want more than kisses Lance.” Kuro bites out, the embarrassment forcing an edge of cold steal into his voice.

Lances hands still and he’s careful to keep the shock from his face, not expecting the brazen way the other is going about this.

“Sooo, you wanna have sex?” Lance asks in the most measured tone he can conjure up at the moment. Its apparently the wrong thing to ask because Kuro turns to stone beside him in his tiny bed. His haughty gaze whips up to take in Lances widening eyes and Lance realizes that he’s just messed up somehow.

“No, Lance. I don’t want to have sex with you. Im sick of just sex! I want more than that! I want…I want-” Kuro growls, pushing away to pace the icy floor. Lance sits up cautiously, not knowing what’s happening here exactly. What did Kuro mean by more than sex? What else could he give him?! Isn’t that like the farthest anyone could GO?

“Kuro, I don’t understand.” He says, crossing his legs on the edge of the bed and pushing his empty hands out palms up and slightly clammy in the chilly air. Lance tries to convey how earnest he is about it. Truly not having a clue what the larger man is getting so worked up about.

Kuro doesn’t even look his way, mumbling under his breath as he paces back and forth.

“If you would just tell me what’s going on.” Lance tries again, starting to become frustrated with the situation. 

“Kuro! Look at me! Tell me exactly what you want. Look at me and tell me okay? How else am I supposed to know?” Lance is on his feet now, grabbing Kuros sleeve to yank him to a stop. Kuro whirls on him, anger written plainly across his features and Lance hesitates, a small bit of fear setting in as the big man grabs him up by the tops of his arms and drags him in to snarl in his face.

“No Lance! No! That’s the thing, I shouldn’t have to tell you! You should want it too, okay? I shouldn’t have to sit here every day waiting for a sign. I shouldn’t have to wonder if Takashi’s right! I shouldn’t have to try and figure out everyday if you’re just using me because I look like him or if you actually give a shit about me!” Kuros chest rises and falls with big angry puffs of air and Lances face spasms with hurt as his words slice him open.

He shoves out of Kuros bruising grip slapping a hand over the sting on his left arm where the metal claws scratched into his otherwise flawless skin.

“Get out.” He hisses, fighting back the tears that threaten to well in his stinging eyes.

Kuro falters, mask slamming back down into place like metal bars as he straightens and takes a step away.

“How could you say that? You really think that I’m using you as some… some kind of replacement? You think I’d really do that?”

“Aren’t you? Isn’t that what this is Lance? Isn’t that what happened last night?” Kuros voice is ice and the betrayed look in his eyes is enough to set Lance on fire. He marches up to shove him back a step and Kuro doesn’t so much as flinch, willingly moving away with the press to his stomach.

“Fuck you! Your such an ass! How could I have thought for one moment…” Lance swallows, biting off the rest of that sentence before it can come back to bite him in the butt. “I don’t even remember last night Kuro! If I did something to hurt you I’m sorry okay?! But it isn’t alright for you to stand here and say that I don’t know my own emotions, god dammit! I’ve never once seen you two as the same person. Not once! I kissed you today because it was YOU. Because I like YOU. Because I stupidly fucking care about you. Not because you look like a man I used to have a thing for. So go fuck yourself! Get OUT!” Lance slams back into him, shoving his body weight at him. He’s satisfied to see the other trip over his own feet as he stumbles back a few steps towards the door. Kuro doesn’t move from where he stops and Lance growls in frustration snatching up the hood of his jacket to practically drag him towards the door. If he won’t leave on his own then Lance will just have to throw him out himself.

He slams his hand to the scanner, briefly wondering how the hell the other had managed to get past his locked door earlier before it slides open to reveal a startled Hunk on the other side, poised to knock.

Lance falters, angry face crashing as he drops Kuro like a sack of bricks.

“What?” He snaps, hurt and confused and really not in the mood for any sort of social interaction at this point.

“Uhh, dinners ready.” Hunk says, eyes darting between the two clearly upset men.

Lance glares down at his rumbling stomach as the smell of hot food wafts down the hall from the direction of the dining area.

“Fine. Yeah okay. Here take this with you.” He reaches back to shove Kuro out of his room and Hunk pulls the still frozen man over with a raised brow.

“Sure, did you uhm… Did you break him?”

“Don’t know, don’t care. I’m changing my shirt and grabbing my slippers I’ll be there in a minute.” Lance closes his door in Hunks face spinning away to angrily rip his ruined shirt off over his head. He marches to the bathroom, turning his shoulder in the mirror to stare down at the messy stripes of red running across the back and side of the top of his left arm.

Lance hisses, running some warm water over it to wash away the now dried blood before patting it down with a hand towel and deeming the scratches shallow enough to leave untreated. He doesn’t want any of the others to see them though. He might be angry and hurt with Kuro at the moment but he really doesn’t want the guy in trouble for something that was clearly his own fault for ripping away in the first place.

Lance changes into a blue and white baseball tee. The three quarters sleeves way more than long enough to hide the evidence underneath. He slips on his blue lion slippers before storming off to dinner, making sure to hide his inner turmoil behind his old fake smile he hasn’t had to use in a while.

‘Damn Kuro. Damn him to hell. Where does he get off accusing me of stuff like that?’ Lance steams to himself, finding it easier to walk in and face the other man while hiding behind his anger instead of wallowing in the pain.

He refuses to ask himself the other question niggling at the back of his mind. What had he even done to make Kuro believe that in the first place?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, WHOMP. A tiiiny bit of angst... 
> 
> I love you guys ehhehheh.


	19. Why though?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I deleted the last two chapters since they where just lame authors notes. Thank you SO much for all the support. Had me crying. I love y'all and I feel the love. Here's a short, climbing back in the saddle, chapter to get us back into this rodeo. As always share your thoughts and ideas on continuation to the story. Y'all are the best. XOXO  
> Also, just a headsup, I spent zero time editing this so let me know if you see a mistake that bothers you.

“Kuro watched that door slide shut and then he was gone. Like WHOOSH! I swear guys I have no idea what Lance said to him but it cannot have been good.” Hunk feverishly whispers to Keith and Pidge as they lean in close to hear, bending over the newest batch of experimental cookies as if they were sniffing around the kitchen for a snack instead of there trying to work out whatever the fuck was happening around them with the whole Lance, Kuro, Shiro triangle going on.

“Yeah, well hopefully they can hurry up and just fucking work through it already. I tore Shiro a new ass earlier on the training deck so he won’t be a probl-“

“He won’t?!” Pidge hisses, adjusting her glasses as she crosses her arms and leans back to glare up at Keith in speculative disbelief. “You sure? Because he’s been making a real ass out of himself lately, not that I don’t love him, I love all of you equally. Okay well maybe I’m prone to a little favoritism, but that’s not the point! What’s his deal, Keith? He’s YOUR boyfriend, you should definitely know what going on here!”

“I-“ Keith starts only to be interrupted by Coran whizzing through the kitchen on the Altean equivalent of roller-skates to snatch up a device he’d left behind earlier. The trio stare after him as he rockets off once more without so much as a ‘hello, goodbye’ in passing.

“…I-I’m not sure Pidge!” Keith begins again, turning back to their huddle and shrugging in a helpless way before leaning over the counter on his crossed arms. “Listen I thought we where all good, you know? I’m like just now starting to realize somethings up here.”

Pidge snorts and shakes her head in disbelief muttering under her breath about how emotionally stunted and oblivious he is. 

Hunk sighs and intervenes as he watches a reddening Keith puff up in offense. “Look, guys, NONE of us really know what’s happening, okay? We just… Uh. Need to be here for them as best we can. We’re all stressed. Here, take a cookie.”

Pidge ignores the cookie offering in favor of spinning back towards Keith on her kitchen stool and giving him a look. “So, what exactly did Shiro have to say about all this when you talked to him? Assuming that you guys even TALKED like regular human beings instead of just walloping each other in a sad attempt to beat your feelings into each others shriveled puny brains. You DID actually verbally confront him didn’t you Keith?”

“YES Pidgeon, I actually talked to him!” Keith blows up throwing his arms in the air in exasperation, eyebrows furrowed and teeth clenched.

“AND?!” Pidge yells back, shoving a fretting Hunk away as he chuckles uneasily and wiggles the whole sheet of cookies between them now. 

“I don’t know! Okay? I’m not good at this stuff…” Keith pauses to growl at Pidge when she rolls her eyes and says ‘obviously.’

“He says,” Keith sighs, deflating like a balloon and glancing out the door to make sure no ones around to overhear. Especially not Allura, they do not need to give her anymore roadblocks on her highway to accepting Kuro. 

“He says that Kuro’s dangerous. That we can’t fully trust him. Have you guys… seen anything off about him? Kuro, not Shiro.” He tacks on as Pidge raises a finger and opens her mouth. 

Hunk and Pidge exchange worried glances before both saying, No. No they haven’t. 

“Kuro’s a pretty sweet guy. I mean we spend a lot of time together. He helps me with castle repairs and working on the Lions almost everyday.” Hunk says, leaning back and tapping a foot anxiously.

“Yeah, he’s always tagging along on my experiments. Its like whenever I need a hand he’s just… there.”

“He’s with Lance the most I feel like… I mean he is, right? That’s not just me?”

Hunk and Pidge mumble in agreement and Keith looks away in an uncharacteristic show of uncertainty.

“Does Shiro ever… uh, talk? About Lance?” He fumbles, avoiding eye contact.

Pidge and Hunk exchange another meaningful look before Hunk reaches across the counter to lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Bud, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Shiro’s crazy about you.”

“Yeah,” Pidge chips in. “God knows why, but he is. I don’t think his brain even registers the fact that there are other options out there.”

“Oh great Pidge! What a way to put it!” Hunk chides, feathers finally getting ruffled.

“What?! It’s the truth!” She defends.

They both glance back to Keith when he starts sniggering in relief, a soft smile on his face.

“Yeah. Alright.” He says, looking up to see the other two grinning back.

 

~~~

 

Shiro rubs over his many, MANY, new aches and pains as he makes his way back from the training decks shower room. He groans when he sees a very pissy Lance whip around the corner and catch his eye.

‘Fuck.’ He thinks, trying to decide if he can effectively escape back the way he’d just come. He doesn’t have the energy for this right now. Or ever.

“Hey! Shiro! We need to talk.” Lance barks, gaining ground rapidly.

“Lance.” Shiro greets, clipped, expression going tense.

“See the thing is is that I just had a very interesting argument with Kuro in my room,”

“What?” Shiro growls, eyebrows coming down.

Lance gives him a criticizing look but otherwise doesn’t let him interrupt. “And the more that I thought about the problem the more my brain kept jumping straight back to you! You wanna tell me what’s going on? Because I’m sure as shit positive that I haven’t been doing anything to mess with Kuro’s self-worth and you’re the only one in this whole blasted ship who isn’t all aboard the ‘Kuro’s Great Express’.”

“Kuro was in your room?” Shiro askes, ignoring Lances line of questioning. 

“Yes. So what? You…” Lance looks at him more closely, taking a step back when he notices the hostile body language for the first time. “You…What did you do Shiro? What did you say to him?”

“Listen Lance that’s not important right now. Where is Kuro? I need to speak with him.” Shiro goes to brush past Lance, again ignoring everything Lance has had to say. 

Lance feels a spark of hurt ignite in his chest, quickly followed by a hot aching rage. He can feel the anger spreading. Can feel the heat crawling up his neck. He shoves Shiro into the wall when the bigger man makes to walk right past him. Lance plants himself right in front of Shiro, effectively caging him in and making himself impossible to be ignored again. 

“Lance!” Shiro hisses, eyes flashing as he grabs the others wrist, trying to wrestle himself out of the compromising position.

Lance uses his forearm across Shiros chest to shove him back into the unforgiving metal wall, hard, smirking in satisfaction at the thud Shiros back makes when he stumbles back a step. 

“Takashi Shirogane you are going to answer me when I talk to you or your going to lose every damned shred of respect I’ve ever held for you as a senior officer and my leader.” Lance whispers fiercely, pleased with the wide eyed look of surprise he gets in return. 

They stare at each other for what feels like ages when in reality it cant have been more than mere ticks. 

“Let go, Lance.” Shiro whispers. Leaning his head back to fall against the wall behind him, fight draining from his posture.

Lance holds his position for anther moment before pushing back, making sure his seriousness of the situation is read loud and clear.

“What did you do to him Shiro? What where you two fighting about in front of my door this morning?” Lance asks with a hard no-nonsense look.

Shiro collects himself, shrugging off the wall an pulling up to his full height as he crosses his arms over his well defined chest. Its defensive and on edge and Lance can see more than Shiro could ever tell him before he even has the chance to open his mouth.

“He’s not good for you Lance. I’ve been keeping him away from you. We barely even know him. If you knew what the arena he’s been fighting in was even like-“

“I DO know, Shiro! I fucking KNOW!” Lance snaps, “Did you forget just who was taken hostage a couple weeks ago? Did you even listen to me when I retold what I went through?! Or does nothing I have to say matter to you? Do I not matter to you at all?” Lance yells, throwing a hand in Shiros face when he steps forward and opens his mouth to defend against Lances accusations.

“Because that’s what it feels like. You don’t care. Its fine if you don’t love me. I’m good with it now. But we’re a team! We’re a family out here. Why would you do that to him. Fuck, to ME, Shiro! We never even talked about it. You never talk to me about anything. I’m not just the team clown.”

“Lance, I never said-“ Shiro cuts in taking ahold of Lances wrist and pulling his hand away from his face. 

“You didn’t have to Shiro! Actions speak louder than words, man.” Lance seethes, ripping his arm from the larger mans hold and taking a step back. 

There’s silence between them for a minute as Shiro takes in Lances disappointment; His hurt and anger. 

“Why do you even care what Kuro and I mean to each other? What does it have to do with you?” Lance murmurs, shaking his head sadly and looking Shiro up and down in contempt. 

Shiro says nothing, jaw clenched. He stands and endures and regrets in the wake of Lances disgust towards him. Lance just doesn’t understand. Lance can’t see how he DOES care. How he does love him, even if it never was in the way that he wanted him to. They are family, just like Lance had said. He is the leader. He will stand and protect. He regrets that he didn’t talk to Lance; Regrets that he’s hurt him and let him down. Shiro can’t stand the ache in his chest at knowing that he’s disappointed him.

“I like him. Shiro, I-I really REALLY like him. You don’t have the right to stand in my way. Why would you even want to?” Lance asks sadly, eyes shining with unshed tears.

Shiro gulps, hand coming up to grab Lances arm. To pull him into a hug. To shield him. But he can’t. He did this, and so he lets his arm fall back to his side and watches as Lance turns on his heal and walks away. He wants to call out to him. Shiro wants to make Lance understand that he’s doing all of this for him and that hurting him was the furthest thing from what he meant to achieve. But he knows that’s not what Lance needs right now. He must give him his space. 

Lance rounds the corner at the end of the hall and Shiro cant hold it in anymore.

“Fuck!” He bellows, spinning to slam his Galra fist into the cold unforgiving metal of the castles wall.

 

~~~

 

Lance pauses only for a second in his retreat when he hears the telltale ring of metal on metal echo to him through the empty hallways. He isn’t sorry. He REFUSES to be sorry. Screw Shiro! 

‘Controlling…egotistical! UGH, bastard!’ Lance stomps on. Hunk did say something about dinner afterall.

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooo?  
> *twiddles thumbs uselessly*  
> How'd I do?  
> Also if you have any suggestions for the future of the fic or want to see anything in particular let me know! I'll try my best.


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